Fly Away
by Chibi1309
Summary: An AU (in places) fanfic: Raven Roth is a fully qualified therapist, renowned in Jump City for her skills. But when she starts having strange headaches and flashbacks after meeting someone new, she begins to question her world and everything within it. BBRae, RobStar and CyBee. Rated T for some adult themes. Flicks between worlds, difficult to explain. [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter 1 - Therapy and Pets

**Quick Author Note: Hello everyone and anyone who is still watching my account. It's been around ten years (!) since my last update but I decided to give writing another go. This is going to be a really long, novel attempt at a Teen Titans fanfic. Here are the important points and disclaimers before we start.**

 **Disclaimers: This is a BBRae fanfic, with elements of RobStar and CyBee. I completely respect everyone's individual opinions, but if you aren't interested in these pairings please don't use my story reviews as a place to flame. This is an AU fic of sorts, so any OOCness can be expected, at least initially. I don't want to say more, as it will spoil the story. Hopefully all will become clear as we move forward. Constructive criticism is always welcomed and will be taken on board where possible. I do not own Teen Titans, or any songs by Bread or Billy Joel that are repeated or used within the fic.**

 **Thank you all in advance for your support and for reading. On with the fic!**

 **-Chibi**

* * *

 **Fly Away**

 _And when the world was through,_ _  
_ _Then one by one the stars would all go out,_ _  
_ _Then you and I would simply fly away_ _._

 _ **If - Bread**_

 **Chapter one – Therapy and Pets**

"Are you even listening to me, Raven?"

Raven Roth's attention snapped back into the room. Where had she been just then? Ignoring the strange feeling washing over her, she tried to refocus on the room. Feeling her comfortable leather chair beneath her hands she stared forward at the girl who was sat before her. The girl had her arms folded and was staring her straight in the face, whilst tapping her foot. Raven shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry, Tara. I was listening to you, my mind just went somewhere else for a moment," she replied, gently. "Please do continue, you have my full attention."

Tara shook her long, blonde hair off one shoulder and sighed dramatically. Raven took a moment to stare at the woman sat before her. Tara was beautiful, it was undeniable; with her flowing blonde hair, blue eyes and slim physique. However, she also carried a load of problems beneath the surface. Raven had been trying to support her through her recent issues, and felt she was having little success despite her endeavours.

"It's X," Tara began, suddenly. "He's not returning my calls, cards, notes or emails."

"I see," Raven tilted her head to the side slightly and blinked at Tara. "How has this left you feeling?"

Tara scrunched her face up, colour flushing to her cheeks. She pulled her arms in tight to her chest and glared over at Raven angrily. "What do you think?!"

"I can sense your anger towards, X. However, it sounds as though he is making it pretty clear he does not want to speak to you presently. I'm wondering if you are aware of the reasons for this lack of communication."

"Well, I know we broke up!" exclaimed Tara, her eyes rolling and hands flying out. Raven flinched internally but didn't let anything show towards the girl. "But that's no reason for him to cut me off! I mean how…how _dare_ he do that to me! To me!"

Tara's pitch was raising, and she was becoming increasingly flustered. Raven's eyes flickered briefly to the inconspicuous clock on the wall and back to the girl. Thankfully, the session was almost at a close and she knew she needed to contain the situation. "Again, I hear your anger, Tara. It sounds like your relationship breakdown has affected you so deeply. I'm aware of the time, that our session is coming to an end, but I want to acknowledge that this seems to be touching some deeper things within you from your past, perhaps even your childhood as we have discussed before."

Tara nodded, the flush gradually disappearing from her cheeks. Raven noted her eyes still looked like there was a fire burning behind them. "I can also sense that you are still struggling with our therapy sessions."

Tara looked mildly amused, but also concerned that Raven was so able to know what she was feeling without her expressing it. "I just don't see the point, it's all a waste of time. X will take me back someday, you'll see. And then I won't need this stupid therapy _at all_."

The final statement came out with some venom, Raven noted. She raised her eyebrows and nodded at the girl. "Well, I hope that you manage to work things out. But until that time, I'm here to listen and support you through this. Maybe we can pick up on this in our next session?"

Tara nodded, seemingly calm for the time being. She raised from her chair and without another word she left the room, staring straight forward. As the door slammed shut, Raven rocked back into her chair and rolled her eyes to the heavens. Shutting her eyes, she attempted some mindfulness meditation techniques in order to calm her thoughts and ground herself.

She was seen as one of the most experienced therapists in Jump City and yet Tara was proving to be one of the most difficult clients she had ever worked with. The complexity of the attachment issues coupled with her intense anger towards the world were making the acceptance of her relationship breakdown frankly impossible. To suggest that the girl had defences in place was clear; denial, acting out, projection…it was all there. To make matters worse, the therapeutic relationship was not developing as well as Raven would have hoped. No matter what she did, Tara seemed to simply hate her and challenge her at every turn. Raven knew that clients would often challenge their therapists within the first few therapy sessions, but Tara was something else. She made Raven feel physically sick with her intimidating language and expressive and often angry gestures. Raven just had this gut feeling that something wasn't right, and she was concerned for X. That was what Tara referred to her ex-partner as within their sessions; she had made clear she didn't trust Raven with the identity at this stage. Whoever he was, Raven was certain that Tara wasn't finished with the situation and there would be more anguish before it was through.

Raven caught sight of herself in the mirror to her right and gasped slightly. There were dark rings under her blue eyes and her dark hair hung limply around her shoulders. She noted a feeling of intense tiredness creeping over her. This new case was affecting her more than she would care to admit.

"I need to call Bruce," she said softly, to no one in particular. Bruce Wayne was her clinical supervisor, responsible for ensuring Raven was practicing safely and ethically. He had also become a confidant over the years, providing her with sound advice and moral support when things were tough. Moving to her desk she began to write up her notes on Tara's case. Before she had chance to do anything else her work phone began to ring. She lifted the handset lazily and almost yawned into the mouthpiece. Stifling it with her free hand she twiddled her pen between her fingers and spoke clearly: "Yes, Arella?"

"Your next client has arrived, Raven. Are you ready for me to send them in, or do you need a few more minutes?"

Feeling her gut drop suddenly, she swallowed and rubbed her temple with her finger and thumb, balancing the pen between them. "Umm, I'm just finishing up these notes from the previous client, Arella. Could you just make them a drink and ask them to wait a few minutes? I won't be long, but I really don't want to get out of sync with my files."

"Absolutely no problem, Miss R!" Arella exclaimed cheerily. "I will make the necessary arrangements. Let me know when you're ready and I will see them through to you."

"Perfect, thanks so much," Raven smiled down the phone, before plonking it back onto the desk heavily. She held her head between her hands and felt it throbbing, for some reason. Letting out a breath, she realised that she needed something positive to get her through the day. She reached into the drawer and pulled out her personal mobile, flicking her fingers across the screen and then holding it up to her ear.

"Kory, it's me," she offered, quietly. "Yeah, I'm still at work. You okay?"

She paused as the voice on the other end gabbled down the line. Fiddling with her hair absently, she almost got the pen stuck in her long locks. Putting it down on the desk, she leaned back in her chair and reclined, handset still pressed to her ear.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just really need to have some catch up time. Are you free soon?"

More gabbling on the line, and then Raven's eyes lit up. She smiled and leaned back forward towards the desk. "Tonight, would be perfect. I'll come straight to you once I'm done at the office. That sound okay? Great, I'll see you soon. Thanks, Kor. You're a star."

* * *

Kory Anders was Raven's best friend. They had met during a training course, way back before Raven became a fully qualified therapist. Kory had decided not to pursue the career path, instead opting to become a primary school teacher. Her skills were put to good use, in soothing the children and teaching them relaxation techniques within the classroom. Despite this, the two had always kept in touch, and over the years their bond had deepened.

Driving across to Kory's house after work, Raven reflected on their friendship. They didn't really see eye to eye on much; different personality types, clothing styles and even interests. However, they had just clicked. Raven couldn't explain why, but Kory was one of the most important people in her life, and she knew that Kory felt the same way about her. They would always be there for each other, no matter what. They had supported each other through different life obstacles, pulling each other through to the other side. Raven pulled up outside of the suburban house, with ivy creeping up the walls. She glanced over into the front garden, and noticed that Silkie, the golden retriever, was running about happily. Noticing Raven's car, he had bounded over to the gate, tail wagging so much his back-end was almost tipping him over sideways. Stifling a small chuckle, Raven got out of the car and locked it, calling out to the hound.

"Hey boy," she cooed, putting her hand over the gate and letting Silkie sniff it and lick it briefly. "I'm here to see your Mama."

The retriever bounced out of the way as Raven closed the gate with a hard click. She turned towards the house, as the dog ran off and began rooting under a tree. Through the kitchen window she saw the silhouette of her best friend waving at her jovially. Raven raised her hand in response, keys still held tightly between her fingers. Kory raised up two wine glasses and wiggled them around hopefully. Raven nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, before strolling towards the front door and letting herself in.

"Friend!" exclaimed Kory, rounding the corner and meeting Raven in the porch. Raven turned, closing the door behind her. Before she had chance to respond she was held between her friend's tanned arms in a bone crunching hug. Her eye closed under the force of her friend's grip and she almost toppled backwards onto her, but she couldn't resist giving a small smile.

"Hey, Kory," she offered, patting the girl's long arm's gingerly. "Losing oxygen here."

Kory shot back, red faced and grinning. Raven noted that her eyes always had a beautiful green sparkle to them, as if she knew a secret to the world that others didn't. 'A secret to happiness, most likely,' Raven thought wistfully, wishing she knew the secret. Her friend was a good foot taller than her, with long auburn hair which framed her jade eyes. She was tall and slim, but very athletic – Raven knew Kory liked to keep fit, wherever possible. Her clothing style was always bright and cheerful, much like her disposition. Raven noted she was wearing a tightly fitted pink jumper and jeans today, which was remarkably modest for her friend. Raven kicked off her work boots and caught sight of herself in their hallway mirror.

"UGH," stated Raven, ruffling her hair up around her pale face and squinting her eyes. She attempted to smooth down her black chiffon shirt and work trousers. "Kor, I look a mess."

"Raven," laughed Kory, turning and walking back towards the kitchen. "If there is one thing you could never look it is a mess! You have just come from work, have you not?"

Raven nodded, growling at her own reflection, before following Kory towards the innermost parts of the house. "Yeah, tough day."

"I noticed that from the tone on your phone-call," Kory noted, offering Raven a wine glass which was now half full of red liquid. "I thought you may need some cheering up."

Raven accepted the glass, a small smile on her face. "You know me too well, Kor. I noticed Richard's car isn't here – is he away on business again?"

Kory flopped down onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and blew her fringe up lightly. "Yes. Does this surprise you?"

Raven considered how to phrase her answer, as she took a sip of the red wine. "Probably not."

Kory gave a small grin and swirled the liquid around her glass. "You know Richard, he is always with his head in the workplace! I don't mind really, he tries his best. I have been busy myself with the children, in any case."

Raven nodded, knowing that Kory meant she had been busy at work. She didn't even notice her friend's strange inflection that much anymore, but suddenly she became aware of it again when Kory made strange sentence constructions like that one. Kory had lived here for so long now, Raven often forget she was a foreigner to this country. Pushing these strange thoughts aside, she focused back into the room and gave a small smile.

"They still giving you problems, huh?" she asked, half-serious. "Little brats."

Kory laughed and gave Raven a shove, playfully. "Do not say that! They are lovely small things. It is just they get 'the grumps' and it is most frustrating when you have a lot of work to do."

Kory paused and shook her head before looking back up at Raven, her face becoming more serious. "So, friend. You sounded solemn on the phone. Is everything okay?"

Now it was Raven's turn to exhale sharply. "Not really," she stated, bluntly. "You know I can't give specifics but…I've had this really difficult case lately. Someone who is really struggling and potentially a little bit…dangerous? I don't know if I'm over-reacting with that word but…"

Raven paused, staring at a spot on the counter hard for a moment. Kory waited patiently, taking a sip from her glass and then putting it down gently as her friend was with her thoughts.

"…I don't know, Kor. I've got this gut feeling that there is something going on under the surface. And it's not good. It's just really, really getting to me."

Kory looked concerned and placed her hand over her friend's arm gently. Raven looked over to her, with sadness in her eyes.

"You work too hard," she said, softly. "You never take time for yourself, friend."

"You might be right," conceded Raven, begrudgingly. "I think I know where this is going."

"You do, because we have had many the conversation in the same way. Raven, when are you going to start having some time away from work? To be with friends? Maybe someone who will be more than friends?"

"There it is!" said Raven, both triumphant and sarcastic in her tone. "See, I told you I knew where this was going. Kor, I'm not marriage material, you know that."

"I know you say that you are not. I still do not understand why," countered Kory, pouting slightly. "You always have the same excuses."

Raven sighed loudly and took another glug from the glass, the red liquid feeling strangely soothing, although it burned slightly. "It's not an excuse. I've tried the whole dating thing, it's just not for me."

Kory snorted, unable to contain her true emotions. Raven looked up at her in surprise.

"You never give anyone half a chance!"

Raven narrowed her eyes at her friend, who had now begun to giggle lightly. "Explain."

"You need me to tell you? Fine, well since we have been friends I can think of several occasions where you have been approached by a fine, young man who has been most polite, and you have sent him off with the flea in his ear. Is that not right?"

Raven felt her cheeks burning a little. "Not always."

Kory laughed heartily, spinning herself around on her stool. "You are so funny! You cannot lie to me, friend!"

Raven began to chuckle a little, despite herself. Kory was right. No one ever held her attention and work always came first. That was who she was, and she wasn't intent on changing her ways any time soon. "Maybe," she conceded, stubbornly. "Maybe, I've just not met anyone to keep me interested yet."

"Maybe if you don't give anyone the chance then you will never get to know if they are interested!" countered Kory, a smirk still on her face. "You think Richard is perfect? He is most definitely not! But being in love, spending time building a future, building a life is so healthy and important, friend. You know this."

"Maybe," repeated Raven, slowly. She looked over towards the redhead, unsure what to say. Kory smiled at her, rescuing her from the uncomfortable feelings whirling inside of her.

"Listen, Raven. It doesn't matter to me, whatever you decide. I am your friend, and I will always be here for you. I just want you to be happy."

Raven didn't know why, but those last few words resonated with her powerfully. She took another quick sip of her wine and considered her response. "Thanks, Kor. I don't know about the guy thing, but you could be right in terms of me needing to get out more often. Lately, work has been consuming me way too much and that can't be health—"

Raven was cut off mid-sentence by a squeal from her friend. Raven turned quickly and saw Silkie hobble into the room and collapse on the floor, breathing raggedly.

"NO!" shrieked Kory, her hands flying up to her face in panic. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Raven jumped off her seat as calmly as she could and moved down towards the creature, keeping her breathing steady. "Easy, easy. Easy boy," she soothed, running her hands over the dog's coat to keep it relaxed. "Kory, go and phone a vet right now. Do you know their number?"

Kory nodded, tears staining her cheeks. "Yes…yes! We know an excellent vet, I am sure he will come right away. He is a good friend, you see," she gabbled manically, running around to try and find the phone. "I shall go phone him immediately!"

She dashed off into the other room, auburn hair trailing behind her. Raven reached up and flicked the radio onto some soothing music to try and comfort the poor thing, who looked distressed. She crouched back down and smoothed his golden fur gently.

"Hey, boy. It's going to be alright. Help is coming."

* * *

As suddenly as she had disappeared, Kory reappeared around the corner with a cordless phone pressed to her ear. She nodded attentively on the other end, trying not to snuffle.

"Yes, I understand. Yes, thank you. See you in a few minutes. Thank you so much," Kory chattered, pulling the phone away from her ear and pushing the button with a loud beep. She crossed her arms across herself and wandered back towards Raven, tears in her eyes.

"He will be here soon," she whispered, softly. "How is Silkie, friend?"

"I'm keeping him calm," replied Raven, emotionlessly. She didn't want to frighten her friend, but she had the feeling something was seriously wrong with the dog, by his unusual behaviour and distressed eyes. "How long will your vet be?"

"A few minutes," replied Kory, sniffing. "He is wonderful. A good friend to Richard and I – we have known him for many years. He was nearby seeing to another poorly creature and agreed to come here now. I have complete faith that he will make Silkie well again."

Raven nodded. "That's good to hear, Kor. Try to stay calm, okay? I'm sure that he will get to the root of the problem straight away."

Kory nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you, friend. You always know what to say."

Raven met her eyes and smiled, feeling a warm feeling in her chest. Suddenly, the doorbell rang breaking the silence. The girls both jumped involuntarily and turned towards the sound. Kory's feet unstuck, and she hurried towards the door. Raven turned her attention back to the dog, and she continued to smooth down his fur gently and soothingly. She could hear the redhead chattering in the background.

"Hello, George. T-thank you so much for coming so quickly," Kory stammered, nervously. Even though they were in different rooms, Raven knew she had grabbed the poor vet in a bone crushing hug by the gasp that escaped him. Had the situation not felt so dire, she may have chuckled to herself over it. Suddenly, she heard the radio track change to a catchy tune that grasped her attention momentarily, pulling her away from the present.

" _She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes_ _  
_ _She can ruin your faith with her casual lies"_

Kory soon reappeared in the doorway, looking towards Raven and Silkie. "This is my friend, Raven," she explained to the man behind her. "She is looking after Silkie and keeping him calm for me."

" _And she only reveals what she wants you to see_ _  
_ _She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me."_

The man rounded the corner after Kory, and Raven felt the air stop in her throat. Her heart started to pound in her ears as she looked over at him.

" _She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you_ _  
_ _She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe you."_

Surprised by this sudden physiological reaction she didn't speak and instead just nodded at him, weakly. He was about six-foot tall, with curly blonde hair and lightly tanned skin. He had large emerald eyes, with light freckles over his face. He carried a bag with him in one hand, dressed in simple veterinarian scrubs, with the logo "GL Vets" on the pocket. Raven noticed he was wearing slightly scruffy Converse trainers on his feet, giving him a more relaxed feel. She swallowed hard as he looked over towards her and their eyes met.

" _And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free_

 _Yeah, she steals like a thief but she's always a woman to me."_

He nodded back, a small smile on his face. His expression soon changed as his eyes floated down to the patient. He walked over quickly towards them and sank down to his knees, running his hand over Silkie's coat. For a moment, their fingers touched, and Raven felt electricity shoot down her arm. She retracted her hand gently and stood up slowly, with a blush on her cheeks. The young man apparently hadn't even noticed their interaction, completely focused on the dog. His expert hands moved around, making checks and he pulled various instruments out of his bag. Kory was biting her lip nervously, and Raven moved over towards her placing a hand on her shaking arm, supportively. Kory gave her a small thankful smile, and then turned her gaze back towards the vet. "Well, George? What is wrong?"

George pulled the stethoscope out of his ears and wiped some sweat off his forehead. Finally, he spoke. "Good news, Kor. He's just eaten something in the garden that's given him a funny reaction – maybe a mushroom or something. It's a good job you caught it so fast otherwise it could have been fatal."

Kory's eyes widened, and her hands rushed to her mouth. "But you can heal him, yes?"

George gave her a thumbs-up accompanied by toothy grin, and Raven noticed he had a slightly wonky tooth. "Absolutely. It's going to be pretty horrible though, there's only one way to cure it. What's gone in has to come back out."

Raven realised what the vet meant and stifled a gag. "Maybe we should go in the other room, Kor?" she ventured, finding her voice at last. George looked over to her and nodded, the smile still on his face.

"Yeah, that would probably be for the best."

"Okay, come on now. I'll stay with you, Kory. Let's go through there," she motioned towards the doorway, giving her friend a gentle push. The redhead's feet stuck for a moment but then she stumbled towards the exit. Raven turned her head around from the vet and felt her cheeks burning hot again behind her friend's back. Who was this guy? Why was she having these strange feelings around him all of a sudden? She'd known him less than a minute. Shaking her head and scalding herself for her unusual behaviour, she managed to get her friend onto the couch and comforted her whilst nature took its course.

Raven and Kory had been waiting in the lounge for some time, and the redhead was starting to get a bit twitchy. Raven had felt unable to revisit her previous conversation about work, due to the situation which had unfolded. She was unsure what to say but could see her friend suffering as she waited for the vet's return. She was chewing on her nails and jiggling her legs up and down violently, her nerves apparent.

Raven put her hand out to slow Kory's movement and gave her a reassuring look. "He's going to be fine."

"What is taking him so long in there? Should he not be done by now?" said Kory, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. "I am so worried for my Silkie."

"I know," soothed Raven, quietly. "But he seems like a really good vet, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Better that he does the job right than rushes it and makes Silkie worse."

Kory nodded, knowing that what her friend said made complete sense. "I know you are correct," she sighed. "George is the best veterinarian we have ever had. He and Richard get on like…how do you say it…'the house on fire'!"

Raven didn't bother to correct her but nodded along patiently. She was interested to know more about this mystery man and decided to indulge her curiosity. It may have been selfish, but it served the purpose of also distracting Kory from her troublesome thoughts. "He seems like a nice person. Have you known him long?"

"Oh, about two or three years, I think?" replied Kory, counting on her fingers like she would with the children. "He often comes around to do the hanging out with us. But also, we would not trust Silkie with anyone else!"

"Yeah, I noticed how good he was with him," responded Raven, feeling the blush creeping up on her cheeks again, much to her frustration. Thankfully, her friend was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice.

"Oh yes!" she responded, emphatically. "He is so good with all animals, he could almost be one!"

Raven gave a small chuckle, and patted Kory on the arm. Before either of them could say anything else, they heard movement and in walked George himself. He rubbed his hand across his forehead and gave a sigh of relief. "Well, he's absolutely fine now. He just needs a good night's rest and then you need to pop him by to the surgery tomorrow. I'll double check him then to make sure he is getting better, but if you're worried at all during the night you know where I am, okay?"

Kory shrieked with delight and leapt up to embrace the other man in another hug. He was startled at first but patted her back gently as she burst into tears again.

"Hey, Kor," he soothed, quietly. He pushed her back off him and raised her chin, so she looked in his eyes. "He's going to be fine, I promise."

"George, you are the best person ever!" she exclaimed, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "Let me give you some money…"

"No, no," countered George, putting his hands up in defence. "Don't be silly, you just try to get some rest now if you can and we can sort everything out tomorrow, okay?"

Kory shone a bright smile at him and nodded vehemently. "Indeed. Thank you so much again."

George smiled back at her, rubbing the back of his head in a slightly bashful way. "You're welcome, Kor. I'll get going now, I've got a couple of other things to do before I go home. Nice to meet you, Raven."

He looked around Kory and waved at Raven, jovially. "You take care, ladies."

Raven gave a small smile and raised her hand as Kory saw him out of the door. Raven walked into the kitchen to see how Silkie was doing, and noticed the hound was curled up fast asleep in his bed looking much more comfortable. Kory bustled in after her and saw the same thing, sighing contentedly. "Ah, there's my special boy. Thanks to friend George he is feeling much better!"

"Certainly, looks that way," replied Raven, reaching for her keys. "Listen, I'm going to leave you to it. You've had one heck of a night."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Kory, suddenly remembering their earlier unfinished conversation. "I have been the rubbish friend! I didn't even help you with your worries and problems."

Raven shook her head at the girl. "Not at all. Actually, it was really helpful having our chat. I'm going to go and call up my friend Beatrice and see if she's free to go out sometime. You're right, Kor. I do work too much, and I need to let my hair down once in a while. I think it's all been getting to me lately."

Kory clasped her hands together and gave Raven a dazzling smile. "Oh friend! Such joyous news! I am so glad to hear you are going to take some time for yourself."

The two girls said their goodbyes, and after a final fuss with Silkie and another bone crushing hug from Kory, Raven ambled back to her car, clicking the gate shut behind her. As she started to walk towards the car door, she was abruptly struck by a searing pain in her head and she grabbed hold of the door to support herself. Suddenly, flashes of a tower on a beach, a darkened room and four silhouettes pierced her mind. She gasped, as she came back to reality, breathing heavily and trying to stand back up. What the hell just happened? Raven pulled the door open and practically fell into the car seat, shaking in shock. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she tried to analyse what had just occurred. The things she saw weren't memories, but they felt so real. A waking dream? Impossible. Not unless she was losing her mind. No, that couldn't be right. She closed her eyes and frowned. This was a sign that it was all getting too much. That was all the motivation she needed. Without a moment's hesitation she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled a number.

"Hey, Bea? It's Raven. You free tomorrow night to go for a couple of drinks?"


	2. Chapter 2 - Taxis and a Night Out

**Quick Author note: I have been having problems with scene breaks for some reason. If anyone is not seeing them properly drop me a PM and I will do what I can to sort them out. Thank you and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any music by Billy Joel.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two – Taxis and A Night Out**

The following day passed in a blur, with Raven unsure entirely how she had managed to get through the hours at all. Presently, she was sat at home getting ready for her night out with her friend Bea. She ran a brush through her long dark hair and smoothed it down around her face. Grabbing her favourite dark lipstick, she quickly and expertly applied it. Pausing for a moment, she looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognise herself these days; every time she looked in the mirror she felt compelled to leap back in surprise at her face. It was a very strange feeling, as if she didn't belong behind it. Ignoring her thoughts, she began rubbing some foundation around the dark rings that encircled her eyes. Raven felt marginally better with this concealer around her, and decided to push the earlier feelings away.

Standing up, she wandered over to her wardrobe and pulled on her trusty blue 'going out' top – it was simple but cut to be flattering. Adorned with a few modest gems, it made Raven feel practically girly. Pulling her jeans and blue boots on over the top, she felt almost presentable. It was getting on for winter, and the cold winds were starting to pull in. She retrieved her favourite coat; a blue, full length design with a belt that wrapped around her waist. It always made her feel so protected, so safe. She flicked her long hair out from the collar, and span around to check herself in the mirror for the final time.

'Not bad,' she thought to herself. 'I guess I scrub up okay.'

Her phone lit up to tell her that her taxi had arrived. Without any hesitation she grabbed her bag and made for the door, leaving the apartment in darkness.

On the ride over, Raven took a moment to consider how she felt about seeing Bea after all this time. It had been six months since she had last arranged a meeting, and she noticed the guilt that was niggling at the back of her mind. Bea was an old school friend; they had met when they were both quite young and remained in touch ever since. Times they had spent together as children seemed to have bonded them for life. Raven always thought fondly of Bea, but it wasn't quite the same as her friendship with Kory. Raven knew they had drifted apart over recent years due to their different lifestyles – Bea had gone on to be a big player in the city working in advertising and marketing and had changed immeasurably from her experiences. That being said, Raven always enjoyed meeting up with her and knew that this would be just what she needed to shake off these strange thoughts she had been experiencing lately.

As the taxi pulled up outside the bar, Raven hopped out and paid her fare. She looked around but couldn't see her friend anywhere and so assumed she had already made her way inside. The bar was quite crowded, and Raven suddenly remembered why she wasn't keen on going out; crowds and people. Neither of these were her favourite things. Gritting her teeth together, she shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind and pushed the door to the bar open. Scanning the open area, she noticed a familiar face looking back towards her.

"RAE!" squealed the figure, waving her hands in the air, overexcitedly. "OVER HERE!"

Raven looked over at Bea and walked towards her smiling. "Hey, Bea."

Bea was wearing a mustard coloured halter-neck top with black trousers and boots, which showed off her dark skin perfectly. Her hair was in its customary bunched up style – the one Raven had known her to wear since primary school. She looked as beautiful as ever, and for a moment Raven felt a familiar twinge of envy. Bea grabbed her with her manicured hands and dragged her in for a hug. Raven patted her back gingerly, uncomfortable with public affection. Bea gave her a huge smile as she released her. Raven realised that she was pleased to see her. "Good to see you, Bea."

"Rae-Rae, what's happening, girl?!" said Bea, with an excited tone to her voice. "When you called me last night for a meet up I was like yeah! Let's get the old troublesome two back together again. I've missed you!"

Raven rubbed her head, those feelings of guilt rising in her stomach again as she sat down at the table with her friend. "I'm so sorry, Bea. I've been so overwhelmed at work lately. But, listen, I don't want to talk about work tonight. Tonight, I want to relax and spend some time with a good, old friend."

Bea nodded, then wiggled her eyebrows at Raven. "Agreed. So, any boys in your life right now?"

Raven rolled her eyes and sat back in the chair. This was typical of Bea, she was boy mad at the best of times. "No, not at the moment. I've been just…you know…caught up in my work and stuff."

"Raven. You need to get yourself a man! You always put your damned work first. When are you going to let yourself be happy?" Bea scolded, wagging her finger at Raven. In her mind's eye, Raven was reciting 'bla bla bla' in a mocking tone to the girl, but she stayed emotionless on the outside. What was it with all her friends trying to pair her up all the time? Raven decided to play Bea at her own game.

"Well what about you, Miss Bea?" she asked, tilting her head to one side and folding her arms. "What happened to…Roy, wasn't it?"

Bea's expression instantly changed to one of disgust. She folded her arms and pouted over the table at Raven. "Oh, _him_. It didn't work out, Rae. The romance was well and truly gone. So here I am, playing the field again!"

She gave a little flourished gesture to emphasise the point. Raven rolled her eyes again. "You haven't changed, have you?"

Bea let out a laugh and then winked at her friend. "You know me too well. I'll get the drinks in."

* * *

Tears were streaming down Bea's face, as she remembered the event so clearly. "Then the teacher walked in, and you had that tennis racket cover over your face. Oh man, it was the best! His face! Wish I'd had a camera with me!"

Raven gave a small laugh and nursed her drink. "Good times."

Bea grinned and wiped the tears away from her face. "Ah, it's always good to revisit them with you, Raven."

Raven looked up at her and smiled. "You too. You know, this whole night has definitely cheered me up. I didn't feel as though it would be that simple, but maybe it is, you know?"

"Mmhmm," responded Bea, sipping through her straw and glancing over Raven's left shoulder.

"It's amazing how much perspective you can get when you step back for a while. And last night at Kory's I realised how much I needed to step back. In a big way."

"Mmhmm," responded Bea, looking over Raven's left shoulder again. Raven narrowed her eyes quizzically at the girl, who was clearly not listening to her.

"Then my head exploded all over the room, and I was sucked into a black hole."

"Mmhmm," repeated Bea, glancing back over Raven's left shoulder. Raven gave a small smile and raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"Okay, Beatrice. What's the deal?"

"What?" countered Bea, suddenly innocent. "I was listening, honest!"

"If by listening you mean ignoring me entirely to look over my left shoulder," remarked Raven, sarcastically. "Don't try to fool me when it comes to listening - I'm a therapist, remember?"

Bea looked a little crestfallen and guilty, her hair somehow drooping with her expression. "I'm sorry, Rae. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just distracted."

Raven turned and looked over her shoulder, to see what was distracting Bea to such an extent. The what turned out to be a who. There was a large, muscular man stood at the bar on his own, nursing a small whisky. He appeared to be the source of Bea's attention. "Wouldn't be that guy over there distracting you then, by any chance?"

"NO!" protested Bea, quickly. "Of course not!"

Raven turned back around to face her friend and gave a soft snort of laughter. "Come off it, Bea. He's exactly your type. Why don't you go and talk to him?"

"Oh, no. I don't think so," muttered Bea looking down, slightly vulnerable and fragile all of a sudden. "He looks older than us. He probably wouldn't look at someone like me twice."

Raven reached over the table and touched her friend's hand lightly. "I thought you were Miss Free and Easy. Playing the field, right? So what if he isn't interested? It's his loss and you're far too breezy to care, remember?"

Bea looked up at Raven, a sudden fire in her eyes. "You're right! I am breezy!"

"Come on," said Raven, possibly spurred on by the alcohol in her system. "You've cheered me up already tonight. I can play wingman for you for a little while. Besides, it's your turn to get the next round."

Bea nodded and let out a low giggle, a faint blush on her cheeks. They gathered up their things and headed over to the bar, with Raven systematically positioning herself on the other side of Bea so that she was stood next to the tall man with the whisky. Raven caught Bea's eye for a moment, and they both started to chuckle like naughty children. The man's interest was piqued, as he turned towards the two slowly with a smile on his face. "Hey ladies, having a good night?"

Raven waggled her fingers at him and Bea flashed her best smile. "Hey, what's going on? We're having a girl's night out and a long overdue catch up."

Bea gripped Raven round the shoulders in a tight hug, to emphasise her point. Raven was not impressed but remembered her promise to be the wingman and gave a small smile.

The man leaned up from the bar and turned around. "Oh, a girl's night out, huh? That's cool. I'm waitin' for a friend of mine too, he's had to work late so I'm stuck here 'til he arrives."

Raven spied her opportunity to assist her friend. "Oh really? Well, we were just going to get a couple of drinks, but we could always keep you company until he arrives if you like?" she offered, nonchalantly. Bea nodded vehemently, obviously giving herself away. Raven remembered why Bea was never a good poker player. To her relief the man laughed openly.

"Yeah, that'd be cool. So, what do I call you ladies?"

"I'm Bea," said Beatrice, practically glowing and shaking his hand. "This is my friend, Rae."

"Raven," corrected Raven, coldly. "Nice to meet you…?"

"Victor," replied the man, shaking both of their hands, politely. "Nice to meet you both too."

Raven's ploy appeared to work, because for the next half an hour Bea and Victor shot the breeze and she sat there patiently nodding and ordering herself drinks when she got bored. She partially regretted her offer of wingman, but it was making Bea so happy she didn't feel able to extricate herself from the situation. She did learn some interesting things about their new friend; he was a very new American football player, having graduated college with flying colours. He was outgoing and friendly enough, too. Raven could see that there was a spark between the two of them instantly, and she sat there quietly feeling more and more like a third wheel. Victor glanced over in her direction and clearly picked up on her facial expression.

"So, what do you do for a living, Raven?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested. "Do you work with Bea, here?"

"No," replied Raven, hiding a small laugh she felt rise in her at the suggestion of working in that world. "I'm a therapist and a writer."

Victor's expression suddenly changed, as if a long forgotten memory had suddnely dawned on him. "Raven…Raven Roth?" he questioned, tilting his head. Raven's eyes goggled at him slightly, but she regained herself in an instant.

"That's right," she replied, coolly. "Have we met before?"

"Oh, no!" laughed Victor, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, that must have sounded weird! No, I've read your book – _The Things Only You Can See_. It helps me so much with my visualisations and thought processes before I start a game. All the guys down at the club love it."

Raven felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Um, t-thanks – I'm glad it helps you all so much."

Victor nodded vehemently, his expression genuine. "It's amazin', we all love it! That's so cool that you are _the_ Raven Roth!"

Raven started to feel a little bit uncomfortable, and noticed the strange expression on Bea's face, which only served to make her feel worse. She knew she needed to get control over the situation again. She cleared her throat and tried to put on a good performance for her friend.

"Well, I work so hard in the week that it's always good to go out with my friends. Especially Bea, she's so great!" Raven trilled, uncharacteristically. Being a wingman sucked, and she hadn't realised until now how much. Victor looked over at Bea and gave her a smile, and she giggled and blushed at him, batting her eyes. Raven rolled hers as she turned back towards the bar and hoped for a way out of this situation. She didn't have to wait long, as Victor was suddenly became distracted from the two girls, looking over their heads across the bar.

"Oh, hey! My dude has finally arrived at last."

'Temporary reprieve,' thought Raven, feeling slight relief. She turned back towards the bar and signalled for another drink. The radio on the counter started to play a familiar song.

" _Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants_

 _She's ahead of her time."_

Raven looked strangely at the box, trying to remember where she'd heard that tune before. She was momentarily diverted from her thoughts as she heard Victor talking Bea. "Yeah, he often runs late to our meet ups. I'm used to it really. He's a vet y'see and he's always getting these unexpected call outs and stuff…"

" _Oh, she never gives out and she never gives in_

 _She just changes her mind."_

Raven's heart started to pound in her ears again. There was no way. It couldn't be him. Could it? She was scared to turn towards the doors and check, but she knew that she had to. She blinked hard and turned around slowly on her barstool.

" _And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden_

 _Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding."_

He was dressed differently, wearing a smart shirt and trousers. But there was no mistaking those eyes. Big and green, scanning the bar to find someone, just as she had been a few hours ago. She felt the blush creep around her cheeks again and wished she had somewhere to hide her face.

" _But she brings out the best and the worst you can be_

 _Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me."_

Suddenly, Raven's head began to sear again, and she had a flash of him walking across the concrete roof of a tall tower overlooking the sea. The room shook and then flashed back to the bar, the noise returning to her ears. Raven gripped the bar and blinked rapidly, not wanting to draw attention to herself. What were these strange visions? Bea noticed Raven's strange behaviour and became suddenly concerned. She touched the girl on the shoulder and noticed her pallid face. "You okay, Rae? You've gone a bit pale."

"What? Oh no, no, I'm fine. Just fine. Think I've had too many drinks all at once, I should slow down a bit," gabbled Raven, trying desperately to recover and think of an excuse at the same time. Bea didn't look convinced but was distracted by the new person walking over to Victor and chatting to him. She turned away from Raven and rested her arms on the bar lazily.

"So anyways, G," said Victor, clapping his hand around his friend's back. "This is Bea and Rae, they've been keeping me company whilst I've been waitin' on your arrival."

"Hey," said Bea, waggling her fingers at him and giving a small grin. George looked at Bea and smiled at her, waving back. Raven knew there was no escaping this situation now, so she turned and faced the music.

"Hello, George," she said, quietly. His eyes locked with hers and they looked at each other for a moment. He was trying to place her, Raven could tell. Victor and Bea looked completely confused as to how she had known his full name.

"Raven," he managed, after a moment's thought. "You were at Kory's last night, right?"

"That's right," replied Raven, secretly a little bit pleased he had remembered her. "Nice to see you again."

Victor suddenly craned his head over the other side of the bar. "Hey, y'all. There's a table opened up down there, shall we head over and chill for a while?"

Bea didn't need to be asked twice. "Sure, that'd be great!"

Victor looked at her, smiling widely. "Well, all right then! G, lemme buy you a drink man. Why don't you guys go and grab the seats?"

"Sure," trilled Bea, grabbing Raven's hand and whisking her across the bar to the table before she had chance to say anything. Raven was still feeling a bit shaken up by what had just happened and had little time to react. Once they were settled at the table, Bea looked over to her with a confused look on her face. "So, you know him? George was it? Funny, he doesn't look like a 'George' to me, but you obviously know him so how?"

"Yeah, well _kind_ of," replied Raven, hesitantly. "He's a friend of Kory's, a vet. She called him out last night when Silkie was ill and I happened to be there. It's no big deal. We only met for like five minutes. It's nothing special. Nothing to talk about really."

She could feel herself getting flustered as she spoke about it. Bea's expression changed completely as the realisation of what was happening hit her. "You _like_ him!"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Bea!" she scoffed, absolutely crimson. The feeling of wanting to bury her head into something was becoming really strong. Bea started chuckling evilly.

"Oh my god, you really like him! This is too brilliant!"

Raven's eyes flashed with anger. "Seriously, Bea. Leave it. It's not like that at all. I'm just flustered at seeing him twice, it's a weird coincidence, that's all."

Bea raised an eyebrow at her friend and looked less than impressed. "You don't fool me, Raven Roth. But whatever!"

"Anyway," chipped in Raven quickly, allowing her face time to cool slightly. "Whilst we're on the subject of liking people, what about you and Victor? Seems to be going well."

"Oh, shut up!" teased Bea, wrinkling her nose up. "Although…he is kinda handsome, isn't he?"

"He seems like a really nice guy," replied Raven, honestly. "There's just a really nice vibe about him."

"Yeah, and look at all those muscles," cooed Bea, dreamily. She was gazing over towards the man as he was approaching the table with George in tow. Raven sighed and folded her arms. They really were different in every way imaginable.

Victor took a seat next to Bea, and George automatically sat next to Raven. He looked over at her sheepishly. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself," she replied, trying to remain calm. She was struggling with how close he was to her. She didn't know what to say to him and was still really uncomfortable with all these strange emotions she was experiencing.

Thankfully, George broke the silence first. "Well, I wasn't expecting to bump into you again so soon! It was a bit of a surprise seeing you at the bar with Vic."

"Yeah, well I'll be honest, you weren't the person I was expecting to walk through the door tonight either," Raven said sarcastically, but smiling slightly. "Thanks for helping Silkie yesterday, by the way. It meant a lot to Kory."

George gave a more genuine smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, it's no problem honestly. It's my job, and besides Kory and Rich are good friends. I'd do anything to help them out. I meant to ask before, how do you know Kor anyway?"

Raven looked down at her drink. "Oh, we met a while ago on a training course and clicked. I know we're really different but it just…works, you know?"

George nodded at her, then looked inquisitive. "I do. So, what is it you do for a living?"

Raven hesitated, there were always strange reactions when she stated her job title. "I'm a therapist, and an author. Raven Roth, you've probably seen my book – Victor informs me the people at his club found it useful."

"Dude, of course," laughed George, knowingly. "Raven Roth. Vic is obsessed with your book, seriously. He is always trying to get me to read it."

"I'm guessing you didn't then?" replied Raven, raising an eyebrow. George looked sheepish again.

"I'm not much of a reader," he replied, embarrassed. "Always too busy."

"I understand," replied Raven, honestly. "I can only imagine how difficult it must be running around the city being a vet."

"Yeah, it can be tough sometimes," said George, sighing. "I've also kind of had a bad year, to be honest."

"Oh really?" questioned Raven, intrigued. "In what way?"

George let out a small laugh, but there was a tinge of sadness behind it. "You're not at work now, Raven. Maybe I need to book in for one of your sessions, huh?"

"You couldn't afford me," she quipped back, naturally. George laughed openly at her response. Where did that come from? A few minutes of speaking to him and she felt so relaxed. "I know what you mean about work, though. I haven't seen Bea in six months, it's always so crazy."

She gestured over to her friend, and they both turned to look over the table. Bea was in full 'breezy' mode, gripping onto Victor's arm and laughing heartily at all of his jokes and stories. Her eyes were so wide, Raven was afraid they might pop out. She couldn't resist a small eye roll at her friend's expense. George noticed, and laughed a little.

"Sorry," said Raven, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I wasn't meaning to—"

"No, it's fine!" exclaimed George, still laughing. "I'm used to this. This is what it's always like for me when I go out with Vic. I'm always the 'wingman'."

Raven let out a small laugh, surprising herself. "Yes, me too. Story of my life, actually."

"Not met the right person yet, huh?" asked George, innocently. Raven's stomach did a small flip and she cleared her throat.

"No, not yet," she replied, quietly. She paused. "My friends say I'm married to my work."

"I'll drink to that," said George, raising his glass.

* * *

Hours passed, and Raven chatted to George happily for a while. There was something so familiar about him, so comforting. Her feelings were all over the place, but she was enjoying the time away from her problems, away from her work and so she pushed it all to one side and tried to enjoy herself.

Eventually, she couldn't take any more. She was so tired, and she knew how much work she had to do over the next few days. Yawning, she looked at her watch. Normally she would split a taxi with Bea to save on costs but judging by her friend's behaviour that seemed highly unlikely. She turned to see George looking at her and gave a small smile.

"Well, I was going to say I'd better head home, but…" she tailed off, pointing at Bea. "Normally we share a taxi but looks as if I'll be riding alone tonight."

"I got that feeling too," replied George, smiling at the couple. "Where do you live?"

Raven gave a brief description and George shrugged his shoulders. "That's about 5 minutes from my place. Why don't we share a taxi back? I need to head home anyway, I've got so much to do tomorrow, and I'm pretty tired too."

Raven looked at him cautiously. At this point he was little more than a stranger, and unlike her childhood friend she was not trusting. George caught her expression and put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I know what you're thinking but seriously. It's just a taxi ride home. You can trust me, I'm a vet."

Raven gave a small laugh and bit her lip looking away from him. She looked over at the others, then back at George. "Alright then."

"Alright then," repeated George, smiling. "Let's go."

Raven turned and reached over the table, touching Bea on the arm lightly. Bea turned to look at her, as if her spell from Victor had been broken. Raven felt bad to distract her, as she looked so happy. "I'm going to head off now, Bea. I'm tired and I've got so much to do tomorrow, but it's been so great seeing you."

"Oh," replied Bea, disappointed. "I'll get my coat, hang on."

"No, no," reassured Raven, quickly. "It's fine, I've arranged to share a taxi with George – he only lives around the corner from me so it's no big deal."

Bea raised an eyebrow at Raven, reminded of their earlier conversation. Raven noticed this and glared at her friend sternly. "It's just a taxi ride."

Bea softened and reached up to give Raven a hug. "Okay, Rae. Be safe, big love. I'll call you tomorrow."

Raven gave her a small hug back and then looked over towards Victor, waving her hand towards him in a friendly way. George had obviously told him what was going on, and they had said their goodbyes. He waved back at Raven and gave her a little wink, before turning his attention back to the lovely Bea.

Raven began to walk towards the door and paused to look back at Victor and Bea. They looked so happy together. In that moment, Raven wondered why she couldn't let herself be that way. Sighing, she turned back around towards the door to see George holding it open for her. Her heart started to beat faster again, as she looked at his eyes. They were so familiar. Why? How could this be possible? She stopped when she realised that George was looking at her strangely.

"You okay?" he asked, with a concerned tone in his voice. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," replied Raven, coolly. She walked past him out the door and then felt a little bit guilty for her sharp tone. "Well, actually. I just can't shake this feeling that we've met somewhere before."

"We did," said George, smiling. "Yesterday at Kory's."

"I don't mean that," sighed Raven, feeling a little embarrassed all of a sudden. "Before that, have we met before?"

George stopped and thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. "Mmm, no. I don't think so. Have you ever had animals? Been in my vets maybe?"

"No," replied Raven, calmly. "Never had the time to own pets, I work too much."

"Hmm," answered George, as they got into the taxi and gave directions to the driver. "Sorry, I really can't think of anything else."

"It's just this weird feeling I get, like I know you from somewhere."

"Hmm, weird."

"So, you really don't know me?" Raven persisted, one final time. George looked back uncomfortably and shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Sorry. I wish I could help you, Raven but I don't know."

"Oh, never mind then. It must just be my mind playing tricks on me. Sorry," muttered Raven, mirroring his discomfort. She decided to change the conversation, swiftly. "So, Bea and Victor, huh?"

"Yeah," laughed George, rubbing his head. "Looks like it."

"Well, in that case I'm guessing we'll probably meet again pretty soon," quipped Raven, sarcastically. This elicited a smile from the young man.

"I promise to remember you quicker next time," he replied, equally as sarcastically. Raven smiled, appreciative that he was picking up on her cues to lighten the mood and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Good to know I'm memorable."

"You're very memorable, Raven," he replied amusedly, looking at her. Their eyes met, and Raven felt that strange feeling creep over her again. Her throat started to close up and she blinked back what was happening.

"It's nice to see you again, George," she managed, eventually. "Thanks for keeping me company this evening."

"My pleasure," said George and he grinned widely. She noticed his crooked tooth again. It almost looked like a fang sticking up into his lip. She tilted her head slightly, feeling brave.

"What happened to your tooth?" Raven enquired, gently. George ran his tongue over it and laughed, looking a little bit self-conscious.

"Oh, when I was a kid I got into an accident and it's always grown a bit goofy."

"I like it, it gives you character."

"Thanks," replied George, a small blush creeping over his freckled face. Raven smiled at him again, becoming suddenly more aware of her surroundings.

" _Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants_ _  
_ _She's ahead of her time."_

She glanced over to the radio in the taxi. That familiar tune once more, and suddenly she felt the light-headedness coming over her again. 'Not now,' she thought desperately.

" _Oh, she never gives out and she never gives in_ _  
_ _She just changes her mind."_

Abruptly there was a jolt as the taxi stopped. Raven looked outside and realised they had made it back to her apartment. Thankful, she pushed the door open quickly. Remembering her travelling companion and not wishing to be rude she turned around and poked her head back into the taxi, reaching her hand out to shake his. George grabbed her hand and pulled her back in for a quick hug and pecked her on the cheek.

"Take care of yourself, Raven," he whispered into her ear before releasing her. She smiled weakly and stumbled backwards out of the taxi, closing the door. She made it back to her apartment, opening the door with shaky hands. Her head was starting to become engulfed with the pain and the white light again. She slammed the door and turned around sinking onto the floor in pain before blacking out. In the blackness, she could hear a familiar voice calling out to her, but she couldn't understand what it was saying. Frustrated, she gave into the darkness and let it consume her.


	3. Chapter 3 - Phone Calls and the Vista

**Author's note: Not as many reviews yet as I was hoping for - I was eager to know what everyone thinks, as this is my first AU(?) fic. But I see you sneaky readers out there checking out the chapters, and I'm going to keep updating for you :) I'm not sure if these following 'errors' are putting anyone off but to clarify: I'm 100% aware that BBs real name is not George, I know some of the character names are spelt wrong, I know that some of the things happening may appear OOC and there are possibly questions around ages/settings etc. To all of you asking these things, never fear! I can assure you that all these questions and many more will be answered in good time. Trust me when I say it will all become clear. The idea of these kinds of stories is to make you a little confused at first (although I'm aware that it isn't everyone's 'cup of tea'). Thanks for reading, wherever and whoever you are, and if you have time to drop me a quick review, even with constructive feedback, I'd be most grateful.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any songs by Billy Joel.**

* * *

 **Chapter three – Phone calls and the Vista**

Raven came around in her bed, unsure how she had got there. She looked around her room and felt her head spinning. 'Did I really drink too much last night?' she questioned herself, groggily. Sitting up in the bed she shuddered at the memory of the events that had occurred as she entered her apartment. Those voices had sounded so real, so close to her. She knew that hearing voices could be a sign of psychosis, and that thought made her feel panicked.

"I must call Bruce on Monday," she told herself, firmly. "No excuses. I need to tell him what's going on."

Verbalising her intended plans made her feel marginally better, and she took the opportunity to get herself out of bed. Placing a steaming cup of tea down on her desk, she began to busy herself with the various tasks she needed to do for her work. The distraction gave her some comfort, and she muddled through the morning fairly carefree.

Her phone vibrated loudly next to her, and Raven's blue eyes shifted to the side to examine the screen. It was Bea calling her, as she had promised. Raven felt herself hesitate, biting her lip. She was half tempted to let it go to voicemail and carry on with her avoidant coping. Sighing, she decided to do the right thing and speak to her friend.

"Hey, Bea," she said, quietly into the handset. "How are you?"

"Hey, Rae," said Bea on the other end of the line, sounding a little bit sheepish. "I'm okay, how are you doing?"

"Same old me," responded Raven, dryly. "At my desk doing my work."

"What else?" laughed Bea, glad to break the initial awkwardness of the conversation. "Listen, I'm sorry about last night. I'm such a pathetic friend for leaving you like that."

Raven sighed and took a sip of her now lukewarm tea slowly. "Don't worry yourself, you looked like you were having a good night and I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"And how was the trip home with your 'vet boy'?" chuckled Bea. Raven could picture the evil grin on her face and she seethed down the phone, eyes flashing fire.

"He's not _my_ vet boy and I wouldn't know! We just shared a taxi home, that's all. It stopped at mine and I got out, then it took him to wherever he lives."

"Is that really all that happened?" pushed Bea, nosily. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else," responded Raven resolutely, preparing her counter-attack. "You're only giving me a hard time to cover your red face for your actions with your 'football friend' anyway."

Bea took a sharp intake of breath and then sighed with resignation. "Alright, alright, you got me. I am really embarrassed for my actions and I thought maybe I could lighten it with a little humour, albeit at your expense. My bad."

"It's fine," replied Raven, feeling herself calming down slowly. "How did it go with Victor anyway?"

"Amazing!" cooed Bea, her voice raising a few octaves. "He's so handsome, and wonderful…"

"And?"

"And I'm seeing him again in an hour!" she finished, squeaking with excitement. Raven smiled, feeling genuine happiness for her friend. She had a good feeling about Victor, and their chemistry was clear from their actions the previous evening.

"I'm pleased for you, Bea. Honestly, I am. I really hope it goes well for you, and I'm genuinely not upset about last night. I wanted a night out with friends and that's just what I had. A chance to let my hair down and relax."

"I'm relieved," said Bea, honesty in her voice. "I wouldn't have wanted to upset you, Rae. You know that, right?"

"I do," confirmed Raven. "But you haven't, honestly. I didn't call because I've had my head in my paperwork all morning."

"So…will you be seeing George again?" asked Bea, carefully.

"Most likely not," replied Raven, trying to sound causal. "We didn't exchange numbers and as I keep saying, it was just friendly. As I see it, I had a nice evening with a nice guy and that's all it amounts to. I suppose at some point it's inevitable I will see him again since you are intent upon entrapping his best friend but…"

"HEY!" shouted Bea, indignantly. She paused momentarily. "You're not wrong though. I'd like to do more than just entrap—"

"Bea, I've got a lot of work to do so please control that mind of yours," interrupted Raven, rubbing her head with her free hand. "Have fun today, let me know how it all goes later. The universally rated version preferably, okay? There's only so much vicarious trauma one therapist can take."

"Ha _ha_ ," replied Bea, sarcastically. "Point taken. I'll be in touch. Laters."

The line went dead, and Raven chuckled to herself fondly. Bea was in a class all of her own and she was grateful to have her in her life. Thinking about this, she realised she hadn't checked in with Kory about Silkie and felt a pang of guilt hit her in the gut. Seeing as how she had been distracted from her work schedule anyway, she decided it wouldn't hurt just to check in with the redhead briefly. Holding the phone back up to her ear, she heard the familiar voice on the line.

"Hello friend!" trilled Kory, sounding full of sunshine. "Happy weekend to you."

"Hey, Kor," replied Raven, softly. "How are things?"

"Things are good," responded her friend. Raven could visualise the big grin that would be on her face. "And for you? How was your 'night off' with friend Bea?"

"Good," responded Raven vaguely. She didn't really know how to approach the whole George situation properly at this stage, so she skipped to safer ground. "How's Silkie doing? Better I hope?"

"Oh yes, back to his usual self," said Kory, her voice full of relief. "I told you George was the most fantastic vet in the world. He checked him over and was giving us the all clear. I shall be most careful about what grows in the garden from now on though."

"Understandably," replied Raven. "I'm so glad he's okay, that's good news."

She paused briefly and then spontaneously decided to just take the bull by the horns. "Hey, you know what's weird? I bumped into George last night when I was out with Bea – what a funny coincidence, right?"

"Yes, I knew this already," replied Kory, factually. Raven's jaw nearly hit the desk. She quickly regained her composure, remembering this was a phone call and her friend would be oblivious to her reaction. Ignoring the pounding in her heart, she kept her voice calm.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"George told me," said Kory, nonchalantly. "I saw him today when I took Silkie back in for a final check. He wanted to make extra sure he was okay as I was so upset, you see. It seems he had an enjoyable evening which is good as he has not had a good time this past year, lots of the heart-breaking problems."

"Ah right," replied Raven, awkwardly. Kory's response had thrown her onto the back foot and she wasn't really sure what to say. "I'm…I'm sorry to hear that."

"It is okay, I am glad you got to spend some more time getting to know him as he means such a lot to us," added Kory, with a strange tone in her voice. Raven had a gut feeling about what was about to come next, but she was rescued unexpectedly.

"What?" said Kory, into the background. There was some chattering she couldn't quite make out between the redhead and someone else. "Raven, Richard wishes to speak with you, one moment."

"No worries," replied Raven, so grateful for her other friend's intervention. "I'll wait."

She heard some fumbling on the end of the line then another familiar voice came through. "Hello, Raven."

"Hello, Richard," she replied, feeling instantly calmer. There was something soothing about his tone that always made Raven feel at ease. The only other person able to do that was Bruce. "How are things?"

"Busy," responded Richard, sounding tired. "It's all go."

Raven smiled down the phone. "Isn't it always with you?"

"Most of the time," answered Richard pointedly, but Raven could tell he was smiling back. "How about yourself? I hear you've been making friends with our other friends all over the place."

"A comedy of errors somewhat," replied Raven, dryly. "But yes, it would certainly appear that way."

"George is a good guy," said Richard, a touch of empathy in his voice. "Rough times for him, but he always keeps his sense of humour. Sometimes I think it's all that gets him through. That and the animals, of course."

"Well, he worked miracles with Silkie the other evening," replied Raven, trying to divert the topic away from their meeting last night. The last thing she wanted was Richard wading in on her personal life. Kory and Bea were enough for one day. "It's clear why you trust him so much."

"We really do - we'd trust no one else with Silkie, that's for sure," agreed Richard, vehemently. "Anyway, that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about, Raven."

"Oh? Okay, what's going on?"

"Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about something work related," stated Richard, factually. Next to Raven, Richard was the hardest working person she knew. He rarely switched off, but somehow, he had managed to find some kind of balance to be with Kory. Raven admired him for that. "Your book."

"Yes?"

"It's a huge hit with the rest of the team," explained Richard. "They want you to come down to the head office and give a bit of a talk about it. What do you think?"

"I could probably do that, if I can find the time," responded Raven calmly, flicking through the pages of her diary. "When were you thinking?"

"Nothing specific yet," stated Richard. "Come over to dinner this week and we can talk more then? It would be good to see you anyway, it's been far too long."

Raven gave a genuine smile. "I'd love that. It did feel a bit cut short with the drama that Kory and I endured the other night."

"Sorry I wasn't here to help," answered Richard, sounding guilty. "Organise it with Kory and I'll be here."

"Sounds like a plan," replied Raven. "I'll see you then."

Raven and Kory spoke for a little while afterwards, but eventually the guilt took over and she said her goodbyes to her best friend. Heading to refresh her tea she settled down to her paperwork again, but her head felt slightly distracted and she couldn't pinpoint why. Before she knew it, Bea was back on the line. She felt a little bit curious as she answered the phone again.

"How was it?"

"AMAZING," gushed Bea, full of ardour. "I had the best time ever!"

"That good, huh?"

"And more," she sighed, dreamily. "I really like him."

"Ah. I'm glad to hear it went well. So, do I sense another date in the air?"

"Yes! Tomorrow, we're going for a little walk and then grabbing coffee. Actually," Bea paused, sounding suddenly nonchalant. "You could come along if you wanted. I mean, no pressure or anything. But it would be great to see you again. And George will be there. It sounds like he enjoyed the other night too. You could always come along. If you want to. No pressure."

"You said that before," replied Raven, suspiciously. She raised her eyebrow. "You already told Victor I would come, didn't you?"

"NO! As if I would do that to you!"

"Bea," stated Raven, sternly. There was no reply. She raised her voice slightly. "BEA."

"Alright, alright…I did. _Please_ don't be mad!"

"I'm a little bit mad," replied Raven, a vein bulging in her head. "A little bit very mad."

"Oh no," replied Bea, quietly. "Don't be a little bit very mad! Just come along!"

Raven ground her teeth together loudly, feeling the tension in her jaw. She didn't feel able to risk it, based on her emotional and mental state. Every time she was around George something bad happened. "I don't think this is a good idea, Bea."

"Please, Rae? I promised Victor you'd come. _Please!_ "

Raven sighed deeply and massaged her temples. "Fine. I'll do it for you and no other reason. But I'm not staying long, okay?"

"Okay, okay! That's fine!"

"One-time warning, Bea. Don't ever do this to me again," stated Raven, coldly. "I'm giving you a free pass this time but do it again and you'll face my wrath. Understand?"

"I understand fully, ma'am. Do it again and incur wrath of Raven Roth."

"Good," grumbled Raven, not liking how her threat now sounded like a tongue twister. "Now go away before I change my mind."

"Love you!" muttered Bea, before hanging up the phone. Raven growled into the handset before throwing it down and plonked her head down on the desk, dark hair spilling all around her.

"How do I get myself into these situations?"

* * *

Before she even realised time had passed, the following day had arrived, and the hour had come for her to go and meet Bea and the others. She felt something strange in her gut which she couldn't quite identify at first. Sick, shaky and dizzy. Palms sweating. Raven sighed loudly: fear. Of course. Following her two recent episodes, Raven was starting to suspect that for some reason George was the trigger. She couldn't explain why though, and that frustrated her even more.

Rubbing her hands on her top, she fumbled through her wardrobe unhappily. The apprehension and experiences from the past two days were all she could think about and her appearance was of little matter to her. Grabbing out her most comfortable trousers and a hoodie she decided to wrap herself up against the cold winter air. It also gave her pleasure at the thought of upsetting Bea in some way by turning up scruffy, although she realised how childish that was. Kicking on some trainers, she felt ready to go. If she was going to be uncomfortable on the inside, at least she could be comfortable on the outside. Besides, there was something about hoods that always made her feel so safe. Grabbing her favourite blue coat again, she headed for the door and made her way down to the agreed meeting point trying to quiet her mind.

As she neared the trail, she saw a coffee hut nestled amongst the trees. On any other day, this may have been somewhere Raven would have enjoyed coming to read a book, or even work on one of her own. Sadly, her fear was pushing all such pleasant thoughts to one side, with the anticipation of what was about to come. Outside the hut was a set of speakers and some park benches, clearly meant for when the weather was a little warmer. Raven's breath was coming out in cold, white puffs and she clapped her hands together for warmth. Near to the speakers she could see the familiar silhouette of her friend, stood next to the larger silhouette of Victor. But no George. Raven glanced down at her watch, she was running a few minutes late. Maybe George had bailed out? At this thought, Raven felt a twinge of relief and sorrow simultaneously. Shaking her head, she decided that she just needed to get to her friends and see what was happening. Striding towards Bea and Victor through the cold, she felt the wind whipping round her coat and blowing it back. She pulled it round her and pulled her hood up to keep her ears from chilling.

Bea and Victor were in deep conversation, with hoots of laughter and smiles all over the place. They didn't notice her presence. Raven cleared her throat and they turned towards her.

"Hi," she said, quietly. Bea acknowledged her friend's arrival with a usual hug, which Raven only half returned. She was still feeling quite angry with her for the situation she now found herself in. "Hi, Bea."

"Rae, I'm so glad you came," replied Bea, gripping her with gloved hands. It looked as though the other two had come practically dressed also, much to Raven's relief. Her earlier childish fancy had passed, and she didn't want to appear rude. Victor nodded towards her with a genuine smile.

"How's it goin', little lady?"

"Cold," stated Raven, glumly. Victor laughed loudly, his breath puffing out all around him.

"I hear ya," he replied, rubbing his hands together. "We didn't pick the best day, but the view on this walk is intense. It's totally gonna be worth it, Raven. You'll see."

Raven nodded politely and gave a half smile. She was a 'wingman' no longer and didn't feel compelled to act as such. She looked over at the coffee hut and noticed how warm and inviting it looked. There was soft music piping out of the speakers, and people were inside with steaming mugs of tea and coffee. It looked like heaven. Raven wished she could just scramble inside and sit quietly on her own with a cup of tea and her book. Instead, she knew she was stuck in her present situation, somehow feeling unable to unstick herself from it. It felt like a movie playing out, or that she was just a pawn in some larger game.

"Hey," came a quiet voice from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned to see that George had joined the group. Raven's heart jumped in her chest, but she managed a small smile.

"Hey man! I thought you weren't gonna show up for a moment! You okay?" asked Victor, jovial but sounding slightly concerned too. Raven felt frozen to the spot, both due to the cold and what she was seeing in front of her. George looked like a faded version of himself. He was pale, with dark rings under his eyes. His hair was messier than usual. He didn't look like he wanted to be there any more than she did.

"Ah, I'm sorry dude. You know how it is with work, heh," he replied, giving a small shrug. His eyes looked sad, Raven noticed, and she felt a very strong urge to cry all of a sudden. Unsure what to do, she just stood there watching the scene unfold quietly. Bea and Victor seemed to be satisfied with his excuse, however. They seemed keen to get on with the walk and didn't push the matter any further.

"C'mon then G, let's do it. I can't wait to show you guys this lake, it's my favourite spot in the city!" Victor exclaimed, excitedly. He grabbed Bea's hand and dragged her down the trail, authoritatively. Raven and George both watched them stride off and ambled slowly behind them, feeling like two small children with an overeager father.

Raven glanced sideways to look at him again. George was staring down at his feet, with intense worry across his face. She wrestled with whether to just ask him outright what was going on. Everything within her wanted to, but she reminded herself that despite her weird feelings, this man was little more than a stranger to her and she had to respect his boundaries. Swallowing, she decided to try something different.

"So, um…"

George physically jumped at her sudden speech. Raven looked at him wide-eyed, unsure what to do. "S-sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, no," replied George, quickly. "I was just uh-thinking about work. Mind was somewhere else."

Raven knew instantly he was lying, it was something she had become attuned to in her work. "I see," she answered, calmly. "I'm just wondering what's happened there to make you so upset."

It was George's turn to look at her wide-eyed. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well, you said you'd been at work, so I wondered if something at work had maybe upset you," stated Raven, staying perfectly calm and controlled. Relief flooded over George's face as he believed that Raven had bought his earlier lie. "Umm, well it's—you see, it's like…umm."

He started to speak but seemed unsure what to say. He obviously hadn't been very prepared for her being so acutely observant.

"It's okay," reassured Raven, giving a small smile. "You don't have to talk about it. It's just if you're upset about that or even something else I'm happy to listen."

George looked over at her in surprise. "You don't know me, and yet you'd be willing to do that?"

"Yes, of course," replied Raven, a little incredulous. "I don't know my clients when they first sit down but I still want to listen to them. Why would it be any different with you? I care. It's who I am."

George flashed her a half-smile, but it was tired. He slowed his pace slightly. Hesitantly, he began to open a little. "I just don't like to talk about it in front of Vic. Someone in my life is giving me a load of trouble right now and I'm a little worried about it."

"Oh, okay," acknowledged Raven, feeling so relieved he had spoken to her. Externally she gave nothing away but her calm exterior. She noticed how sad he was looking in that moment. "Well, I don't know what's going on with you guys, but I can see how sad it is making you. If you want to talk, I'm here. Equally, if you don't want to, that's fine too. I just want you to know that you're not alone."

George's eyes changed, they became different somehow. It was as if her words had touched something within him. He gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you."

Raven gave him a little smile back. "You're welcome."

They walked on in silence for a while. Suddenly, Victor gave a shout which made them both start and break away from their thoughts. "Hey guys, this is it!"

The trail opened up onto a vista point, high above the lake. You could see across for miles. The sun was low, and the sky was shining brightly, with orange and pink flecks all across it. Raven felt her breath catch in her throat. It was truly a beautiful sight. Immediately, Victor and Bea were taking selifes and photos at the edge and giggling. Realising she had pushed George far enough, she decided to move away from him and go over to the side for a closer look. As she approached, Bea and Victor moved away to the side to look over their photos. She pulled her phone out of her pocket with her cold fingers. This was a picture she wanted to remember for a long time. Holding the phone up to the sky, she snapped a few shots and then went to put it back in her pocket.

"Hey, I can take a picture of you with the view if you like?" came a voice behind her. Raven turned to see George standing next to her and felt a blush creep over her face suddenly. She cursed internally, thinking she had been doing well so far.

"Ahh, I'm not really great with having my photo taken. That's more Bea's department," she countered, her eyes faltering. She turned back to look at the scenery again. "It is beautiful though."

"Yeah, it is," George rubbed his head slowly. "Well, we could take one together then. Come on."

Before Raven had time to object he had swiped her phone from her hand and held it a few feet away from them, with the view behind. He swept his arm across her shoulders and grinned into the camera, his goofy tooth on full display. Raven felt her face flush, but she gave the smallest of smiles as he took the picture. The wind was blowing her hair a little, so she hoped it would have obscured it a little.

George's eyes landed on the screen as he turned the phone back around and he smiled. "Perfect. There you go!"

He handed her the phone back and she reached out for it. She felt his warm hand brush with her cold fingers and shuddered slightly. She raised her eyes to meet his and noticed he was looking at her strangely.

"Hey guys!" shouted Bea, interrupting their thoughts again. She gestured back towards the trail. "It's freezing! Let's go get coffee!"

* * *

Sitting in the warm coffee shop Raven felt the feeling coming back into her hands and feet. Even with her warm attire, the wind had bitten through. She wrapped her hands around what was left of her tea and tried to enjoy the calm atmosphere. But inside, she felt a mixture of emotions. She felt confused about what had happened up at the vista point but didn't know what to do about it. She felt sad about the state that George was in at the moment, and helpless to know what to do with that. She felt tired and worried that something bad was about to happen. The fear had definitely not left her.

"So, you guys enjoy the vista?" asked Victor, sounding hopeful. Raven nodded, genuinely impressed and George gave him a thumbs-up indicating his appreciation. "I know, right it's something else!"

"Beautiful," whispered Bea, dreamily. Her eyes were firmly planted on Victor and it was all Raven could do not to gag. "Hey, do you guys want to go somewhere else? I'm not ready to go home yet!"

"I can't," replied Raven and George in perfect unison. Bea looked at them both in shock, and even Victor had a bemused look on his face.

"O-okay?" he stammered, uncomfortably. "Since when did you two become twins."

Raven glared at him, despite herself and ignored his inflammatory comment. "I can't, I've got loads of work to do."

"Actually, ditto," replied George, giving a little laugh to show he appreciated his best friend's joke. "Sorry dude, you know how it is."

"It's cool. Guess it's just you and me then, little lady!" stated Victor, smiling at Bea. In reality, it was best that way and everyone at the table knew it. "Where to next?"

As they began to plan the rest of their date, Raven drained what was left of her tea and began to fidget. Nothing had happened yet, but she just knew that something bad was around the corner and she wanted to get as far away from George as possible before it happened. Thankfully, before too long everyone stood up from their seats and headed for the door. Bea and Victor said their goodbyes and headed to the new carnival that was in town, arm in arm. Once they'd moved out of earshot, George turned to Raven and smiled.

"Thanks again for your support today."

"No problem," said Raven, quietly. She hesitated, then reached into her bag and pulled out a card. "Listen, here's my work card. If you ever need a friend with a good listening ear and a qualification in therapy, you know where I am. Remember what I said, I meant it."

George took the card from her and his eyes scanned it briefly. He looked back up at her and smiled. "Hey, you're good at this. You should do it for a living."

Raven gave a small laugh, remembering what Richard had said about George's sense of humour. Although it was a clear defence, there was something endearing about it.

" _She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel_

 _She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool."_

Raven heard the familiar song and looked up suddenly. She realised they were standing next to the large outdoor speakers that she had noticed earlier. She winced, recognising what this meant. This was the sign, there was something about to happen and she knew she needed to get away from George quickly.

"Right, well I should be going," she stated, abruptly. The change in her tone caused a flicker of confusion to pass the young man's face and she noticed it. He covered it well, though and gave her another small smile.

"Yeah, me too. I wasn't kidding when I said there was loads to do. I'll see you around, Raven."

 _But she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree_

Raven smiled and nodded at him, giving a small wave. Before he had chance to say anything else, she turned on her heel and hurried away towards her home, with the speakers still piping the tune after her.

" _And the most she will do is throw shadows at you_

 _But she's always a woman to me."_

She felt tears hitting her eyes at her behaviour, but she knew she needed to get home right now. The headache wasn't far behind. To her relief, she felt the first pang of it as she made it up the steps to her apartment. The second pang came as the key hit the keyhole.

"Hurry up," gabbled Raven to herself, pushing on the door with her full force and opening it heavily. She slammed it shut behind her and headed to the couch just as the third pang hit. It floored her, and she passed out face down on the soft, feathered cushions.

She swam around in the darkness, feeling frightened and alone. How long would the nightmare last this time? Suddenly she could hear those voices again and she calmed her breathing, trying to listen to what was being said. Suddenly it happened.

"Raven," called a familiar voice in the darkness. "Raven, it's me. I don't know if you can hear me, but you need to open your eyes. Open your eyes, Rae. Come back to me."


	4. Chapter 4 - Supervisors and Friends

**Author's note** **: I wanted to thank all of the kind reviewers who responded to my last chapter, your comments are appreciated. To Taygon55 – I'm glad you're noticing some hints and thanks for recommending the story to your friends. To all other reviewers, I'm glad you're all enjoying it. Thank you also to all the 'sneaky' readers out there (yes, that is now a thing!), I hope you are too enjoying the story. Feel free to vote on the poll that is in my profile about this story. There are plenty more twists, turns and annoying cliffhangers ahead. That being said I will continue to update as regularly as I can, so the suspense is minimised! Enjoy this chapter and keep letting me know your thoughts! :)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.**

* * *

 **Chapter four – Supervisors and Friends**

Raven opened her eyes and sat bolt upright. She was in her bedroom in the apartment again, back in her bed as she had been the previous day. This time, instead of comfort at being there safely, she felt frightened thinking about what had happened. This was more than some nightmare. Swallowing and feeling the soreness in her throat, she swung her feet round and got out of bed. Massaging her temples, she looked at herself in the mirror. Again, she recoiled at her face slightly and gently pressed her tired eyes closed with her thumbs.

"It's okay, it's me," she told herself loudly. "Look in the mirror."

She opened her eyes, and saw herself in her normal pyjamas, long dark hair hanging around her body. What was that voice she heard last night? Or more importantly _who_ was that voice she heard last night? She knew it was someone that she was close to. She knew that it was a friendly voice that meant her no harm. But, more than that, she knew that it wasn't psychosis. It was real – and whatever or whoever it was, it was speaking to her. Yet the message made no sense to her. Sighing deeply, Raven got herself dressed for work. She didn't know what else to do but carry on as normal.

The rest of the morning was another blur. Files, notes, clients. Files, notes, clients. Sitting in her chair. Standing. Sitting in her chair. Standing. Glancing at the clock. Looking at the floor. Glancing at the clock. Looking at the floor. It was the final appointment of the day and looking at her diary she felt that familiar dread creeping over her. It was Tara next. Raven took a very deep breath and exhaled for a long time. 'I need to ground myself,' she thought, sensibly. 'I need to meditate here and find my centre. It's all going to be fine. I just need to get through this and then the day is over.'

Raven's work phone rang, making her jolt so hard she nearly fell off her seat. She glanced at it wearily before picking it up.

"H-hello, Raven Roth," she said, trying to mask her stammer. "How can I help you?"

"Friend Raven, it is me!" exclaimed Kory, in her happy tone. Raven felt relief wash over her. "I am sorry to trouble you on your working phone, but I have tried you a lot of times on your personal mobile and you weren't picking up. I just wondered if you were okay, because I know there has been a lot of stuff at work lately and I was worried and—"

"Kor, take a breath," interrupted Raven, dryly. Her tone softened. "It's kind of you to call. I'm fine. I'm sorry I haven't checked my mobile today, it's been busy."

"Oh, what a relief," replied Kory, letting out a sigh. "I was concerned you weren't so good."

'If you only knew the half of it,' thought Raven, glumly. However, she was pleased to hear her best friend on the phone and touched to know that she had thought about her feelings so deeply. Kory really was a true friend.

"Thanks for checking up on me, Kory," she stated, quietly. "It means a lot. But I'm okay. Are you okay?"

"I am fine," chuckled Kory, happily. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner later. Richard is going to be here and wanted to talk to you about your book. It would be so lovely to see you, friend. I want to make amends for the other evening too."

"That'd be great, but you have nothing to make amends for," replied Raven, with an earnest tone. Perhaps being around Kory and Richard would take her mind off things for a while. Their company was always enjoyable for her, and she knew that she would be safe with them no matter what happened. "Shall I come around to you after work, then?"

"Perfect!" exclaimed Kory, excitedly. "It is a date, as they say!"

Raven gave a small chuckle. "See you later, Kor. I'd better go, I've got another appointment and a lot of paperwork waiting for me."

"I understand completely," replied Kory, kindly. "I shall see you soon, friend. Take care."

With a click, the handset was replaced, and Raven attempted to return to her meditation. She had a slight smile on her face. Kory had given her a little bit of hope that things could and would get better. She didn't know quite how, but she had some semblance of faith back. She just hoped it would get her through the next hour.

* * *

"I just know X is out there seeing other women," growled Tara, her blue eyes flashing. "He has forgotten all about me! But, how could he? We are _meant_ to be together. Doesn't he know? Doesn't he realise?"

Raven was trying to keep as cool and calm as possible amidst the blonde's wrathful words. She anchored herself by pushing her thumb into her fourth finger. "Realise what, Tara?"

"If he won't be with me then I won't let him be with anyone else."

Raven felt a shudder go through her whole body. That sick feeling, she always got around Tara was rising in her stomach, and she felt the colour draining from her cheeks.

"Tara," she started, slowly. "Would it be correct to say that you are suggesting you would hurt your ex-partner?"

"Hurt him?" simpered Tara, sickly sweet. "Of course not! Just teach him some common sense!"

Raven flinched inside, her blue eyes trying to hold Tara's gaze, steadily. "What you are suggesting is harm towards another, and you know from our therapeutic contract that is something which I take very seriously."

"What do you mean?" asked Tara, wide-eyed. "You mean you're taking X's side?"

"I'm not taking anyone's side, Tara," replied Raven, in a monotone voice. "I am reminding you of the contract you signed when we started the work. This is your safe space to express how you feel, but if I feel you are going to leave here and cause harm to another then you know I have to break confidentiality."

"So, you're going to _tell_ on me?" seethed Tara, angrily. "Like a child?"

"No, like a responsible and ethical therapist," returned Raven, feeling some fire of her own replacing the fear. "Hurting people is something which I cannot and will not be a party to."

"I see," replied Tara, coolly. Her eyes were fiery, but her posture had changed to be calmer and more collected. Raven noted that this was more frightening than the outright rage she had been expressing before. She was unpredictable. Calculated. Methodical. Psychopathic, in a sense. It unsettled Raven in ways she could not describe.

"Tara, I'm _worried_ about you," she emphasised, with some empathy in her voice. "I don't think that you're thinking clearly. I feel as though you might do something which you regret if you continue on this path, and I want to help you. I want to support you to make the right choice."

Tara looked down for a moment and seemed to consider what Raven was saying. "I see," she repeated, giving nothing away. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself," replied Raven, honestly. "We need to spend some time together thinking about how we best move forward, for your safety. What I would like to do is speak with my clinical supervisor about our conversation, and then I can get in touch with you and let you know what the best next step would be. How does that sound to you?"

Tara shrugged her shoulders. "Fine I guess, whatever."

"Tara," tried Raven again, slowly. "I know you dislike these sessions and sometimes you dislike me. But I need to ask you this honestly, are you going to hurt X in some way?"

"No," replied Tara, coldly. Her eyes met Raven's for a moment, and Raven could swear she saw a scared little child inside. She tried to soften her own gaze at the girl, hoping to find some way of reasoning with her.

"I understand that you're afraid. This whole break up has been difficult for you. You aren't sure how to manage all these big feelings you are having. I want to help you, but you need to let me in."

"I can't let anyone in," replied Tara, her mask crumbling for an instant. "It's not safe in here."

"Let me help you make it safe," replied Raven, keeping her gaze steady once more. "I can help you, Tara. But I need to know that you are committed to working through this, and you aren't going to hurt someone else or yourself."

Tara sighed, a few tears leaking out of her eyes. Raven could see the mask creeping back on, smothering the childlike self that Tara was expressing. "Okay."

"Good," replied Raven, exhaling slightly. "Okay, Tara. Let's leave it there for today. Please take care of yourself. I will call you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay," repeated Tara, standing up without looking at Raven. Her eyes never left the floor as she exited the room, blonde hair hanging across her face. "Bye."

"Goodbye, Tara," replied Raven, feeling concern seeping over her body. She knew that Tara was like a coiled spring, that the slightest thing could send her over the edge. But she felt this desperate urge to help her somehow. There was a deep empathy for the child that had been treated in such a way to create the adult that stood before her. As the door clicked shut she anchored herself again then dragged herself over to her desk.

This phone call was well overdue.

* * *

"Raven Roth," came the soothing, deep voice at the other end of the phone. "It's been a while."

"Bruce," responded Raven, relief flooding over her at the sound of his voice. "It's good to speak to you."

"What can I do for you?" Bruce replied, openly. Raven knew that he would be the right person to tell what had just taken place with Tara. She explained the whole situation from start to finish and eager to hear his response.

"So," she started, softly. "What do you think?"

"What I think is you should have phoned me sooner, Raven. This is clearly a case that needs much more specific care than you can offer her right now."

"You're right," replied Raven, feeling failure leaching through her body. "I'm sorry."

"You're not a failure, Raven," stated Bruce in a hard voice, as if he could read her thoughts. "This doesn't mean that you've failed because you can't help her. I know it feels that way right now."

"It does," responded the girl, feeling tears pricking her eyes. "I don't know why, but it does."

"Because," began Bruce, taking a moment to calm his voice back down. "Therapists like to believe that we can save everyone. But the truth is sometimes…you can't."

Raven didn't know what to say. Her face was hot, and her eyes stung. She felt the sense of failure melting away as it was replaced by a worse feeling. Guilt.

"You've nothing to feel guilty for," continued Bruce, again staying with the girl's feelings accurately. "You're only human."

"Is that enough?"

"It's all we've got, kid."

Raven gave a small laugh, despite her feelings. "Fair enough."

"Listen, I think the best thing we can do right now is damage control. We don't know where she's gone or what she's doing right now and it's too late in the day to make a referral without going through the police. I can sense you don't really want to do that, do you?"

"I think it would be detrimental to the client's state of mind," analysed Raven, calmly. "She is on a knife's edge; the slightest thing will push her over."

"As I thought," stated Bruce, knowingly. "Okay. So, we go for Plan B. You need to contact The Institute of Trauma and Acute Need."

"TITAN?" replied Raven, uncertainly. "Do you really think that Tara needs support from them?"

"I think that if we offer her a place there she will refuse it," countered Bruce, calmly. "But they are our best shot at containing what could potentially be a safeguarding situation. Ultimately, we take the choice away from Tara. She needs to be sectioned with them until she can make a full recovery. It's what's best for her. You'll need to make an urgent referral request first thing tomorrow."

Raven took in what her clinical supervisor had just suggested. She felt a strong sense of doubt about this plan but didn't want to question Bruce's judgement. He'd never been wrong before and was so experienced. But there was something about Tara. That unpredictability. She didn't really know if Bruce fully understood what she was capable of. That being said, she didn't know what else to do other than to contact TITAN in the morning.

"Raven, are you still there?"

"Hmm," responded the girl, rubbing her eyes and letting out a slow breath. "Okay, I think that might be the best option then. I don't want to get the police involved yet, not unless I know it's my only choice."

"I can appreciate that. You've built an empathy for her. But don't let it cloud your vision, Raven. You need to be clear that she may have lied to you about not harming her ex-partner. Make proper notes before you leave tonight. Last thing I want is you to be dragged down to the courthouse."

"I understand," replied Raven, softly. "Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate your support, as always."

"You're welcome. Call me tomorrow. And Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Take care of yourself. You're just as important as any client, remember that."

Raven felt the tears welling up in her eyes again, but she pushed them back. "I'll try."

* * *

Providing the accurate records for the phone call and the session took longer than Raven would have liked. She had printed off and filled out the referral forms for TITAN in preparation for the morning. She knew that she would need to make the call first thing to ensure that they got straight on the case. Her mind was pleading that Tara could keep it together until then and not hurt anyone. Pushing the files together and putting them away in the cabinet, she stood up and stretched her neck and shoulders out like a cat. She glanced over at the time and realised that she needed to get her stuff ready to leave and go over to Kory and Richard's house. Grabbing her coat, bag and various phones she made for the door. Arella was still at her desk, furiously typing up a pile of documents that had been passed to her by the therapist earlier that day.

"Burning the candle at both ends, are we?" asked Raven, sarcastically. She leant over and touched her assistant on the shoulder gently. "You should get some rest, it's been a busy day."

"I know, Miss R. But I just wanted to get these last few bits taken care of. I'll finish then, I promise."

"Okay," conceded Raven, putting her hands up. She remembered Bruce's earlier sage advice. "But it can always wait until tomorrow, Arella. We need to look after ourselves, too."

Arella looked a bit bemused at Raven's comment but she nodded and began to divide the pile into urgent and non-urgent. Raven gave her an appreciative smile and then waved her hand at her.

"Good night, Arella. See you tomorrow."

As she headed out of the door, her work mobile started to vibrate in her hand. She looked at the window and there was a number she didn't recognise on the screen. She had finished work but…

Sighing, and chiding herself for ignoring Bruce's advice so quickly, she picked up the phone. "Hello, Raven Roth."

'This had better be good,' she thought to herself, bitterly. 'Really good.'

"Raven?"

Raven's heart almost stopped. She gripped the door to hold her upright and lifted her head up straight. "George?"

"Hi," came the quiet response at the end of the line. "Can you talk?"

"Yes," replied Raven, her heart now picking up pace and starting to pound loudly in her ears. "Are you okay?"

"No," came the reply. Raven felt her stomach sink. "I need to see you."

Her eyes faltered to the floor and she took a few paces forward to move away from Arella's earshot. "When?"

"Tonight?" replied George, sounding hopeful. "I want to talk to you about what's been going on. I really need to know I'm not alone."

Raven bit her lip, thoughtfully. "Okay. I'm supposed to be seeing Richard and Kory tonight. Shall I meet you after?"

"Okay, where?"

Her mind raced as she took a few more paces away from the building. "There's a bar just around the corner from their house. Kor and I have been there a few times…I think it's called The Hive or something. Can you get there for nine?"

"Yes. I'll be there. Thank you, Raven. It means a lot." There was an honesty to his voice that brought those strange feelings from yesterday to the forefront of her mind. She didn't want to think about what had happened at the vista. Or what was likely to happen if she saw him again. But he was hurting and knowing that he would suffer alone was worse somehow.

"See you later," she managed, before hanging the phone up and pressing the cool screen to her face. What if she had another attack in the bar? Or worse, on the drive home? This was a serious situation to be in and she didn't see any way of coming out of it unscathed.

* * *

"FRIEND!" squealed Kory, gripping the young woman in her signature crushing grip. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight. You look very tired, is everything okay?"

"Actually, not really," replied Raven, her mind deep in thought. "It's George. He just phoned me. He's really upset about something and wanted someone to talk to. He wants to meet later for a drink and a chat."

"Oh?" said Kory, a mixture of concerned and confused. "You and George have become…close?"

"Not really," countered Raven, her eyes dropping to the ground. "But he knows I'm a therapist and it sounds like that's what he needs – a good listening ear."

Kory sighed deeply and gestured for her friend to follow her to the kitchen. Raven kicked her shoes off and trudged behind her slowly. "Yes, I am not surprised for this to be the case. Poor George. He has been through the wars, as they say."

"You said that the other day," said Raven, curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, it is not my place to tell you. It is clear that friend George has been through a very difficult time lately, and Richard and I have noticed he is full of the depression all of the time."

"I see," replied Raven, trying not to let her mind pry into what could be wrong. She knew she needed to exert a little patience in the face of her curiosity. Kory was right, George would speak to her when he was ready. She owed him that much. Deciding to change tac slightly, she moved the conversation away from the vet. "Where's Richard?"

"Right here," came the reply, as Richard emerged from the side. Raven jumped slightly. It was like he was a ninja, he appeared so subtly you could almost believe that it was magic. "How are you, Raven?"

"As well as can be expected," answered the girl, giving a small smile to her friend. He embraced her lightly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good to see you," he stated, quietly. "It's been too long."

"It has. How have you been?"

"Busy," shrugged Richard, as if it was an obvious answer. "It's always the same – you think you have one thing sorted and then the next thing raises its ugly head."

"I'm guessing you mean literally and figuratively. How is being a detective treating you?"

Richard was a detective in the police force, his workplace consuming his life often times. The head office he had described in his phone call was what he liked to call the station, to make it sound more normal. "I enjoy it, but it takes up a lot of my mental space, you know?"

"I do," replied Raven, nodding. "Sometimes you forget where it ends, and you begin."

"Exactly," laughed Richard, giving her shoulder a little squeeze then letting go. "This is why I want you to come by and talk about that book of yours."

"I'm sure I can fit that in somewhere," said Raven, grabbing her diary out of her bag. "Want to sort it now?"

"Yeah, I think there's a few more minutes before Kory poisons us with her cooking."

"I HEARD THAT!" came a voice from the other room. Richard laughed and then pulled a mock concerned expression. Raven stifled a small laugh and remembered why she enjoyed seeing them so much.

* * *

After dinner was over, Raven started to clock watch. She could see the hands rolling closer to nine and she felt anxious. What was going to happen to her when she saw George again? Was she going to be sent over the edge? End up in TITAN herself?

Raven swallowed and drank the dregs of the tea that Kory had made for her. "Well, I think I'm going to have to make a move soon."

"Yes, friend," replied Kory, a slight sadness in her voice. "We do understand."

"Kory tells me George has asked to see you for a sort of informal session, is that true?"

"It is," responded Raven, calmly. "It's just a friendly ear."

Richard nodded and ran a hand through his hair smoothly. "Lord knows he needs it, poor guy."

"Richard, please do be leaving the talking to George. It is not our place to get in the way."

"Sorry," responded Richard, looking at his partner and then across at Raven. "You feel okay to take up that mantle?"

"I'm sure I can manage," said Raven, forcing a small smile to her face. "I think if someone reaches out to you like that it takes a lot of courage and I want to support that."

"Good point," replied Richard, returning the smile. "Well, you know where we are if you need someone to offload on. And whatever happens, I'll see you on the seventeenth if not before."

"Yes," stated Raven, a cold air to her voice. She didn't know why, but it was almost as if she was trying to create blocks and barriers around herself to keep her safe from what may be to come. "Look forward to it."

"As will me and the boys," laughed Richard, giving Kory's hand a squeeze and then clearing the plates away. "I'll sort these for you, hon."

After he disappeared, Kory leant over to Raven. "Raven, please be being careful."

"I will, Kor," answered Raven, touching her friend's hand lightly. "I promise."

"You are not yourself of late," replied Kory, sadly. "Do not think I have not noticed. You must take care of you, remember that you should have left work at work!"

"I understand," soothed Raven, her eyes looking at the table. "I haven't been right in a while. I need to tell you some strange things that have been happening to me lately, but I don't think I can just yet."

Kory nodded, a few tears in her eyes. She was trying to be brave for her friend. "I trust you. You will tell me when the time is right."

"Thanks for thinking of me, Kor. And for cooking. And, well, for everything."

"Please don't be silly. What are friends for?" smiled Kory, squeezing Raven's hand tightly.

A few minutes later having said her goodbyes, Raven was strolling down to the Hive and away from Richard and Kory's house. Her car was parked in their driveway, but it wasn't far, and she felt that she needed the fresh air. The white wisps of breath that emitted from her mouth showed that it was starting to get cold again. She pulled her coat around her and tried to ignore the fact that her toes were turning numb. As she approached the bar, she saw a familiar figure hunched on a bench outside.

"George?" she tried quietly, as she approached him from the side. He looked over to her, clearly in a world of his own. As his eyes met hers, she saw the recognition seep in and he gave her a toothy smile.

"Hi Raven. Thanks for coming to see me."


	5. Chapter 5 - Honesty and Fear

**Author's Note:** **Thank you all again for the kind support of this story and sticking with it. Things are starting to make a move now. To all reviewers: I hope that you enjoy this update. Sanzojoe, your prediction may just be correct ;) I'm glad it has got you all thinking and thank you again for your encouragement. Please keep reading and reviewing and I will update regularly as promised!**

 **Disclaimers: ****I do not own Teen Titans, Batman or any Billy Joel songs.**

* * *

 **Chapter five – Honesty and Fear**

Raven's eyes fell onto the table where George was now sitting, looking his hands quietly. His face looked paler, his green eyes were sullen, and his hair looked messy.

"That'll be five fifty," said the bartender, her shock of pink hair in bunches on her head. Raven eyed her warily and reached into her bag. She pointed towards the silhouette of George gently. "He looks worse for wear."

"It's not been a good night," stated Raven, simply. The girl at the bar gave a small laugh and began cleaning a glass with a bar towel. Raven put the money on the bar and waited patiently for her change.

"When is it ever?" asked the pink-haired woman, turning to the rest of the bar and gesturing. "Everyone in here has their own story. It's usually something bad. Bar equals liquor equals avoidance."

"Aren't you quite the therapist?" shot back Raven, smiling. The bartender wiggled her eyebrows at her and laughed. The vibration made the glass slip out of her hand and it smashed on the floor. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"That's the third one today. I swear I'm a complete jinx."

Raven gave a small smile and pushed the money towards her. "My fault. Keep the change to cover the costs. Thanks for the dose of therapy. Have a good night."

The lady gave a small smile back and nodded, reaching down to clear the broken glass away. Raven grabbed their two drinks and headed back to the table, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know what George was going to tell her, but she knew that it wasn't going to be good. The booth she had chosen was quiet, and she sat down silently, pushing the drink over to him slowly. He nodded slightly, his eyes still firmly on the table. Raven waited for a moment, then decided to try a gentle prompt.

"So," she started, softly. "What's going on?"

George burst into tears suddenly and without warning. Raven was initially taken aback but she quickly recovered. Giving him space to be with his emotions, she sat silently and allowed the young man to cry. It was evident to her that he had been keeping it pent up for so long now, he just needed to let it all out. When his crying began to subside slightly, she gently pushed a napkin towards his hands. George took it gratefully and began wiping his eyes and calming down. He looked up at Raven and tried a small smile to mask his embarrassment. "Well, that was manly. Sorry."

"I don't know what you mean," replied Raven, slicing through his humour defence. "Crying is a human emotion is it not? You are human aren't you, George?"

He looked at her, the smile still playing about his lips. It was more genuine this time. "Yeah."

"Then you have nothing to apologise for," said Raven, returning the smile gently. Her eyes were full of concern and she gave him space to gather his thoughts.

"I-It's been a rough week," started George, running a hand through his hair. "I just got up this morning and didn't know which way to turn. I can't talk to my friends and talking to my dog just isn't working anymore. Things are not good. It's…it's my ex-girlfriend. She's becoming increasingly abusive towards me. She's been stalking me, harassing me and abusing me and I don't know what to do—"

George continued talking, but in Raven's mind a huge penny had just dropped, and she felt the familiar pang of pain in her head. Her stomach sank through the floor and into the basement of the Hive bar. Oh my god. It couldn't be, could it? The colour drained from Raven's face as she tried to tune back into what George was saying and erase the buzz from her ears. She was in shock and she knew it, but she needed to get it together and fast.

"—so, I decided that enough was enough. And that's when I picked up the phone to you," explained George, apparently oblivious to Raven's distraction. He looked up at her expectantly, fiddling with the napkin.

"I'm sorry to hear that," tried Raven, clicking into her clinical mode suddenly. It had become like muscle memory to her. "Tell me a bit more about your ex-girlfriend."

George nodded, seemingly happy to share. "Well, her name is Tara and we met—"

Raven's head took another sharp pang to it. She had tuned out again, as if this was a film playing in her mind. She couldn't focus, everything had become blurry and swam around her like a dream. She tried to blink rapidly and clear her vision, but it wasn't working. George was still talking, she could see the outline of him bobbing around animatedly, but no words or sounds were hitting her ears. Raven felt panic rising in her chest. What was she supposed to do now? She fought herself back into consciousness and managed to grab the end of George's statement again.

"—and now I just don't know what to do. At first it was great, she was so much fun, and we had the best time. Then as the relationship progressed it just got worse and worse. She became aggressive. Abusive. Didn't like me to see my friends. Didn't like me to go to work. Didn't like me to look other people in the eye. Speak to other people. Thank God I love animals, or I would have gone completely insane. So, in the end I finished it. I still love her but I'm not in love with her anymore, and I don't want to be with her. I've tried to tell her, but she doesn't listen. What am I supposed to do?"

Raven took a deep breath and released it very slowly. She was trying to calm herself down and think rationally. She knew she couldn't give her client's confidentiality away and yet she was suddenly more scared about X's health than ever. Now that she knew X was George, things had changed. "George, I'm going to say something very strange to you. But first I need to know, do you trust me?"

"What?" said George, looking a bit startled. This clearly wasn't what he was expecting her to say. "Dude, what do you mean?"

"Do you trust me?" repeated Raven, calmly. "I know you don't know me very well, but you called me so that tells me you must trust me to some degree. But I need to know. Do you trust me fully?"

George paused for a moment and bit his lip, his jagged tooth showing for a moment. He looked back up at her, his freckled face furrowed. "Yes, I think so."

"Good," replied Raven, still trying to keep her voice calm and low. "Then I need to you to listen to me. I need you to go home and bar your door until tomorrow morning. I need you to not let anyone in, no matter who they say they are. Do not let anyone in."

George was starting to look a bit frightened. "R-raven, what do you-?"

"I can't explain," she said, quietly. "But if you do trust me then you'll do as I say. And believe that I am telling you this for the right reasons. I will be able to tell you everything tomorrow morning, but until then I can't."

George's fear was now evident, and he gripped the table tightly. "Am I in danger?"

"I can't say," replied Raven, uncomfortably. "I want to, but I just can't. I want to help you, but please don't make me compromise myself."

George's eyebrow raised, showing Raven he didn't quite understand her meaning. Their eyes met and there was a pause as George weighed her up. "Please, believe me," she begged, her eyes starting to shine. "Don't leave your house until tomorrow. I will call you."

"Okay, Raven," confirmed the young man after a few minutes. "I trust you. I'll go home now."

"I need to go and make a phone call. Go home now and we'll speak tomorrow," stated Raven, firmly. She paused and decided to add something significant. "Thank you for trusting me."

George nodded and stood up from the table, he walked out of the bar and down the street. Raven began to almost hyperventilate, finally allowing herself to let her feelings out, now that George was safely away. 'What am I going to do? What am I going to do?' repeated Raven in her mind, over and over. Her hands were shaking as she scrambled in her bag for her phone. Bruce. She needed to speak to Bruce, right now.

Finding the strength in her legs, she walked out of the bar and turned towards Richard and Kory's. She needed to get back to her car immediately. The phone was cold in her hand as she pressed it to her ear. She could hear her heart pounding around her body as she waited on every beep for Bruce to pick up.

"Raven?" came a concerned voice. "What's going on, are you okay?"

"No," replied Raven, some tears streaking down her face. "I'm not okay at all, Bruce and I haven't been for some time. I need your help."

"Okay, okay," soothed Bruce, trying to calm the girl down so he could understand what was happening. "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"I've got this friend…well sort of a friend," gabbled Raven, trying to make as much logical sense as she could. She glanced around herself to ensure no one could hear her. "And tonight, we met for a drink and he disclosed to me that Tara is his ex-girlfriend. He is X!"

Bruce let out a grunt at the other end of the line. "I see."

"So, now…I don't know what to do! I couldn't tell him of course, but I sent him home and told him to lock his door. He looked terrified of me. I didn't know what to do," stammered Raven, feeling the weight of the past few days hitting her like a ton of bricks. Everything was all wrong, none of it made sense anymore. "Help me, Bruce. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"First, I need you to take some deep breaths," instructed Bruce, calmly. "You need to calm down, Raven. We are going to sort this out."

Once the young woman had calmed slightly, Bruce took a deep breath himself and then began to talk.

"We need to get your friend away from his house tonight. If what Tara was saying is true, if she finds out he met you for a drink then things could become…extremely difficult. You need to make sure that he goes and stays either at a family members or friends that Tara is not aware of. After that, phone the police and tell them what has happened. He'll need to report Tara's behaviour to JCPD so that they can keep him safe."

'Richard,' thought Raven, quickly. 'Perhaps I could ask him to phone Richard?'

"Okay," answered Raven, calming down. "Okay, I can do that."

"Good," responded Bruce, still very clinical. "The rest of the plan stays the same. First thing tomorrow 8am phone TITAN and make an urgent referral with the police case number. They'll go and give her an escort into the centre and ensure she is in safe hands."

"Thank you so much, Bruce," stated Raven, wiping stray tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry that I panicked back there."

"Only human, kid," repeated Bruce, kindly. "Call me tomorrow morning once you've spoken to TITAN. And please remember to look after yourself."

Raven nodded. "I will."

As she hung up the phone she felt a new sense of urgent purpose. The pangs of pain in her head seemed to have subsided suddenly, replaced by the adrenaline of what was happening. She quickly dialled George's number and waited for a response.

"Raven?" came the confused reply. "I just got home, I'm locking up and—"

"Change of plan," interrupted Raven. "I'm sorry to confuse you further but please stay with me. I need you to go and stay with a friend or a family member, someone who Tara doesn't know. Who is there that might fit that description?"

"Well, she knows Vic," stated George, quietly, clearly trying hard to think. "Most of my friends she has met, and I don't have any living family in the area. She has only met Richard and Kory once at a party but that's all. Maybe I could ask them?"

'No,' thought Raven, vehemently. 'I'm not putting Richard or Kory in harm's way. Tara is unpredictable.'

"No, that's no good," replied Raven, trying to think of a solution. Suddenly, the only option available to her was out of her mouth before she had time to think. "You'll have to come and stay at my apartment."

"What? No way, you don't even know me that well!"

" _EXACTLY_ ," stated Raven loudly, trying to emphasise the point. "Tara can't possibly know where I live."

"I don't know, it feels a bit weird."

"Look," tried Raven, taking deep breaths. "I just want to keep you safe, George. If you feel uncomfortable in any way you are free to leave. But please, try to trust me. I can't say more, even though I really want to."

George sighed, a resigned tone in his voice. "Fine. Okay."

"Give me your address, I'll come and collect you now," stated Raven, feeling like she may cry again. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

"It's okay. I said I'd trust you and I'm a man of my word if nothing else."

Raven gave a sigh of relief as he passed on his address. "See you in a few minutes. In the meantime, I need you to call Richard, tell him what's going on. He'll know how to handle it from JCPD's end. We need to keep you safe."

* * *

Raven pushed the door to her apartment open and stepped back to let the young man in first. It was dark, and she flicked the lights on and shut the door behind them, dead bolting it and pulling the chain across. Swallowing, the realisation of what she had just done hit her and she felt stunned. She rested her hand against the cool wood for a moment and took a deep breath before turning around.

George was stood in the middle of her open plan apartment, with his bag slung over one shoulder. He was looking around like a small lost child. Raven walked over next to him, so that they were standing side by side. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So…this is my place," she stated, realising how strange it sounded as soon as the words escaped her lips. "I'll show you where the guest room is. Treat it as your home – help yourself to anything in the kitchen and if you need anything just say so."

George nodded, looking numb. He tried a small smile, but it looked strained. "Thank you."

Raven smiled back, feeling tired. The head pangs were back, although only lightly. She walked through the apartment and flicked the lights on. Pushing the guest room door open she quickly dashed in moving all her files and paperwork out of the way.

"Sorry," she gabbled, a little haphazardly. "This has kind of become and office and…I wasn't expecting company so…um..."

"Raven, it's perfect. Don't worry. Thanks."

She blushed slightly, as she piled everything up neatly out of the way and shoved a few books into her bookshelf. "You're welcome. I'll leave you to it, come back through if you want to. If not, I'll see you tomorrow."

George nodded in acknowledgement, he dropped his bag onto the bed and sat down. Raven took her leave and closed the door behind her. She rested her back against it and blew the hair out of her face, still blushing. It felt so strange that he was here in her apartment. Her feelings were seeping back in, now that the feeling of crisis had passed, and she felt uncomfortable. Sighing she pushed herself back up and walked into her kitchenette. She poured herself a hot cup of tea and settled down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around herself. Blowing the hot steam off the mug, she took a sip. The warm liquid went down her throat and she felt instantly soothed. She stared at the dark tea and began to question herself.

'What am I thinking? Why did I bring him here? Was it really to save him from Tara or did I want this? I don't even know him!'

Raven thoughts were broken as she heard a small cough behind her. She turned and saw George standing there, looking at her awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"Hey, I wondered if I could get a glass of water?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Raven, pointing to the glasses she'd put ready on the side when she was making her tea. "Help yourself."

George pottered around in the kitchenette and Raven turned back around on the sofa, feeling her heart rate picking up. The pangs of pain had started again in brief spasms and she was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. To her surprise, George plonked down next to her on the sofa with his drink. She looked over at him sidelong, and noticed he was staring into his water much as she had been into her tea.

"You okay?" she tried, gently. George looked back at her and gave a faint trace of a smile. He nodded.

"I am, and I'm not…if that makes any sense," he replied, looking a little confused himself. "It's hard to explain."

There was a small silence between the pair as they each were contemplative. It was the young woman who stirred first.

"George, I completely understand if you don't want to be friends anymore after this," she started slowly, wrapping her hands around the mug. "I'm aware how strange my behaviour must appear to you. I hope you will understand more once I can explain tomorrow."

George looked at her strangely, as if he was trying to work her out. Raven looked over and caught his eye and expression. "You don't trust people very easily, do you?"

"Since Tara it's been hard to," replied the young man, his emerald eyes flashing with sadness. "It took me a long time to get my confidence back after what I went through."

"You started to tell me at the Hive and this whole mess cut you off," stated Raven, testing the waters. "You can tell me a bit more if you want to."

George nodded, his hands playing with the water glass in his hands. "Things were fine when we first started dating – she was funny, kind and clever. I was in love with her right away. We moved in together soon after and things started to kinda…change. It started with the verbal abuse. Telling me I wasn't good enough, that I wouldn't find anyone who would put up with my 'weirdness', as she called it. Then it moved on to be more…"

George paused, tears in his eyes. He took a sip of water. "Physical. She used to see red, get really angry and I never knew where it was going to stop. I never laid a finger on her, couldn't do it. Still loved her so much. I was scared to leave her for a long time – I felt like in some way, her taking it out on me was protecting others in the wider world. One day, I just snapped. I made the decision I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't care anymore. I didn't love her anymore. Not enough to stay and put up with that."

Raven nodded, feeling tears pricking her eyes at what the young man had endured at the hands of her client. "Go on."

"Well, after that it's just been a living nightmare, Raven. Incessant calls. Texts. Letters. Cards. Voicemails. Death threats. Love notes. Pictures. Photos. Anything and everything she could do to make contact with me. I was thinking of leaving the city just to get away from her, but I know she would follow me. I can't talk to Vic about it, or any of my friends. They couldn't possibly understand. I'm not sure I understand."

Tears were starting to make their way down his face again, releasing his inner feelings born of his traumatic experience. Raven felt knots tying inside of her, surrounded by huge empathy and sadness for him. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through. No one deserves to live like that. You're really courageous to have walked away from it. I hope that you can both find peace somehow."

"Thanks," replied George, quietly. He paused for a moment then took a deep breath. "It's harder being away from her because I can't see what she's thinking. What she's going to do next. She's unpredictable. She could hurt herself – or worse, someone else."

As Raven thought. Unpredictable. Her hypothesis about the young woman was proving to be correct, much to her dismay.

"Maybe," she tried, softly. "Maybe that isn't _your_ responsibility, George. It never should have been. Tara is responsible for her own choices and actions, they can't fall on your head."

George looked at her with a strange sense of relief. "It's almost like you know what you're talking about."

Raven laughed a little, allowing the atmosphere to break slightly. George laughed a little too, rubbing the tears away from his eyes. He looked down towards the coffee table, eyes falling on a book.

"This is your book!" he exclaimed, suddenly. Raven nodded, shyly. "Vic says it's really good."

Raven shrugged, modestly. "I'm not sure about that."

George turned it over in his hands, reading the back of it. He smiled slightly, then handed it back to her. Raven put her hands up.

"Take it," she said, smiling. "You never know, it might ignite a love of reading in you."

George let it drop down onto his lap and turned back to the young woman. "Raven, I can't thank you enough for your support tonight. I've never talked about things so honestly, it's been really helpful. You've been so kind to me."

Raven smiled, hearing a tune floating in the air. Her face began to drop slightly. The music was coming from the radio, but she didn't remember turning it on. Her eyes turned towards it, to see it lit up and playing the familiar song she had come to know so well.

" _She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes_ _  
_ _She can ruin your faith with her casual lies"_

Raven turned to look at the radio in absolute horror. She could feel the blinding headache beginning to return. She grimaced and put her tea down on the coffee table quickly, before bringing her hands up to her head.

" _And she only reveals what she wants you to see_ _  
_ _She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me."_

Raven knew she wasn't going to be able to stop what was about to happen. She felt George put his hand on her shoulder supportively.

"Are you okay?" he said, but his voice sounded a million miles away. "Raven, hello?"

She could feel the pangs throbbing through her body. Bang. Bang. Bang. The white light hitting her with every stroke. She collapsed backwards off the couch, her head narrowly avoiding the coffee table as she crumpled onto the floor.

The darkness had come, and she felt that strange familiarity of it again. The voices were swirling around her and she tried to listen. George's voice was long gone. These voices were different. They were all talking at the same time, Raven only caught snippets.

"Friend, you are so missed and—"

"-Raven, I can't believe this is—"

"—happening, we need you—"

"—I need you, Rae. Wake up."

Raven's thoughts raced. 'The tower by the sea. The tall tower by the sea. The tower. What was it called? T-tower. No, that's not right. Where is it? The tower by the sea. That's where I am. That's where I should be.'


	6. Chapter 6 - Love and Hate

**Author's note:** **Thank you as always to those of you following, reviewing and just generally being nice people. I hope this chapter proves satisfactory in terms of the story progression…but it's only just the beginning ;) As always, please leave comments, feel free to take part in the poll or PM me but keep reading.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans, Batman or Billy Joel's lovely songs.**

* * *

 **Chapter six – Love and Hate**

Raven opened her eyes. George was shaking her shoulders and touching her face lightly. She blinked; the light shining down onto her was making her vision blurred.

"Raven, Raven!" he shouted, still gently shaking her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

She pushed herself up, slowly recognising her surroundings. Her apartment. That wasn't right, was it? No, of course that was right. She put her hand up to her head. The pain was subsiding.

"G-george?" she tried, faintly. She felt unsure, looking into his green eyes. "Did I fall?"

"You did," stated George, a little more calmly. "You fell from the couch. It's a good job you didn't hit your head. Here, shall I help you up?"

He gently lifted the young woman onto the couch again, giving her a moment to get her bearings. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I-I think so. I think I'm just tired. I should probably go to bed."

"I'll help you through to your room, you look a little shaken," said George, softly. "Come on, up you go."

He pulled her up into his arms, and she felt herself blushing again. She leaned against his chest as he helped her stumble through to her room. She dropped down onto the bed, and George gently landed next to her. "There. You've made it. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Raven felt the tears pricking her eyes. She wasn't okay. Not at all. This was more than just her and George. Her and Tara. Her and Bruce. This was her sanity. She felt she was losing it. "I'm not, actually."

George looked slightly surprised at her revelation. He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You've listened to me so much over the past few days. You can talk to me, I'll listen to you for a while."

Raven rubbed the centre of her head, absently. She felt an urge to tell George the truth, but she couldn't fathom why. Why him of all people? She faltered. "I want to tell you, but I don't want you to think that I'm crazy."

"I really don't think you're crazy, Raven," stated George, matter-of-factly. He shook his blonde hair. "Believe me, after the week I've had there isn't too much that's going to sound crazy to me."

Raven looked over at him weakly. Could she trust him? He had trusted her, that had to mean something. She sighed deeply and began. "Alright, you trusted me earlier and now I want to trust you. So here it is. A few days ago, I started having these really strange…blackouts. And these strange hallucinations. But they aren't like you would expect hallucinations to be. It's more like they are memories. But they _can't_ be memories because I don't remember them. They don't make any sense to me. God, this is crazy."

George gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Go on."

"It's like I'm trying to grasp at something, but I can't," said Raven, reaching her arms out in front of her to illustrate the point. "I can't get to it. I keep trying but it's just…I can't get there. I don't even know what I'm trying to get to! All I can tell you is it feels like…like home."

George nodded next to her, absorbing all she was saying. Raven sighed deeply, running her hands over her head, feeling frustrated with herself. She didn't know what to think.

"You've been under a lot of stress lately," said George, quietly. Raven turned to look at him. "You mentioned it the other day. Do you think that maybe your stress levels are impacting on your state of mind?"

"I think that's probably true," conceded Raven, slowly. She bit her lip. "But when I'm in these hallucinations, these flashbacks or memories…they seem so real. It's like I can hear people I know but I don't know who they are. It feels strange to even talk about this, I haven't told anyone before."

"I understand," said George, harking back to his earlier comments. "How long has this been going on?"

"About a week," replied Raven, flatly. She was starting to feel a little foolish all of a sudden. This all sounded too detached from reality.

"It sounds to me like you need some time off to work this all out," said George, sensibly. "You've clearly been working too much lately."

Raven nodded, knowing that what he was suggesting felt logical and sane. But it didn't seem right to her, even though it seemed to be everyone's advice. Hesitantly, she let it go, knowing this was as far as she could take it tonight. "Thanks for listening, George. I know you already have so much on your plate right now, I didn't want to have to put this on you."

George smiled kindly at her, holding her hand softly. "You've done so much for me, and this is what friends do, right? They look out for each other."

Raven's heart was beating in her chest at the sudden affectionate gesture. She looked at George's freckled face and suddenly saw someone else flash in front of her eyes. It was so fast she almost missed it, but she noted the grey tower in the background again. She blinked rapidly, starting to feel fearful she might black out again. "Yeah, sure."

George's eyes were filled with concern. "Are you going to be okay, Raven?"

Raven wished she knew the answer to this question. "I-I don't know. I haven't been sleeping too well lately."

"Me neither," admitted George, letting go of her hand then shifting himself round to face the door again. "Strange times."

"Yeah," agreed Raven, nodding. She paused. "Did you ever think your life would end up like this?"

George turned to look at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I love my job, but it's become the centre of my life. I always guessed that at some point I would meet someone, settle down. Lead some kind of more normal life. I keep thinking, there has to be more to life than this, right? Instead of just getting up every day and working, working, working then going home," Raven gabbled, her mind emptying out before her eyes. She sighed. "I just didn't expect it to be this way."

George gave a knowing smile. "I know exactly what you mean. Growing up I thought I'd be married with 2.4 children. The usual. A steady home. Instead I've ended up where I am, and I don't quite know how I got here."

Raven nodded understandingly. She decided to break the atmosphere. "I don't have any answers, I was just curious to see if you felt the same way," she teased, lightly. George laughed, appreciative of her attempts at humour. She gave a small chuckle back and they looked at each other. In that moment a connection passed between them. Raven couldn't explain it, even if she tried. His eyes changed. They weren't George's eyes anymore, she realised as she stared at him. She couldn't look away, it as if her head was being held in position. She noticed the familiarity of the eyes she saw in front of her. She knew them…knew him. A person she knew very well. Raven felt frightened at this realisation but also strangely very safe and secure. It was giving her some peculiar form of comfort.

Raven realised the strangeness of the situation and swallowed, trying to snap herself out of it somehow. "What's happening?"

George didn't speak, he leaned forward and tenderly kissed her on the mouth. Raven felt a blush extending over her from head to toe. His one hand was tangled in her hair and the other was holding her close to him. Before she knew what she was doing, she had relaxed and started to return the kiss, lifting her own arm to gently touch his face. George moved back, panting a little as Raven's stared at him, heart pounding. She felt frozen to the spot and unsure what to do but look at him and blush. It felt like the most real thing that had happened all week.

"Sorry," breathed George, blushing a little himself. "I don't know why I did that."

"Don't worry," replied Raven, quietly. "I'm not angry."

"This is so the wrong time for this, isn't it?" laughed George, tears lining his eyes. Raven laughed, tears beginning to form in the corners her own.

"I really like you," replied Raven, trying to be honest. "But with everything going on, it just can't _be_ right now."

"Maybe once things settle down, we could go out for another drink sometime?" tried George, rubbing his head. "I like you too, and I want to get to know you better. I'm sorry I dragged you into all this mess. My head is all over the place."

Raven smiled, reassuringly. "It's okay, I understand. My head is all over the place too. I hope we can still be friends. I've shared more with you tonight than I have with anyone else."

She paused. "You should go get some rest."

George nodded, the faint blush still about his cheeks. "Thanks for being so understanding. Goodnight, Raven."

"Goodnight," she replied, as he stood up and walked to the door and opened it. As he was disappearing he gave her one last look and a goofy smile before he closed the door with a bang. Raven fell backwards onto her bed, feeling incredibly strange. She raised her hands to her mouth still feeling the kiss on her. It was so _real_. Why? Blinking she hoisted herself onto the bed fully and was alone with her thoughts.

Before she knew it, daylight was poking through the blinds and she knew it was time to get up and face the day. Somehow, that optimism was still hanging around and she hoped that once things were sorted her life would finally start to become a little easier.

* * *

"Thanks so much," said Raven, speaking into her phone. Her leg was jigging nervously beneath her. "So, you'll pick her up this morning? Good. That's reassuring, thank you. Keep me informed if you can. Yes, alright. Great. Thank you again. Goodbye."

Her phone beeped as she put it down on the side and pushed the referral forms into her filing pile. The TITAN referral for Tara had been successful and they intended to collect her immediately. Raven felt relief swim over her, and she decided it was time to tell George what had happened. She got dressed as quickly as possible, pulling a brush through her long, dark hair and ignoring her reflection entirely. She quietly opened her bedroom door and peeked out, to see George sitting on the sofa, thumbing through her book. She smiled, a little twist in her stomach thinking about what had happened last night. She shook herself slightly and took a deep breath before exiting her room and closing the door. The noise startled the young man and he turned to see her. He smiled at her, and then blushed a little. He had clearly not forgotten either.

"Good morning," she said, quietly. "Did you sleep?"

"A little," replied George, equally quietly. "Did you?"

"A little," repeated Raven, walking towards the couch and sitting down. She paused for a moment before continuing. "Listen, George. It's time for me to tell you what happened last night at the bar."

She tucked her legs up to her chin and looked down at the table. "There's no easy way to tell you this, but…Tara was my client."

"What?!" exclaimed George, his face paling and his eyes widening. "You're joking."

"I wish I was," sighed Raven, squeezing her eyes shut. "I couldn't tell you because of confidentiality. We aren't allowed to talk about our clients outside of the therapy room, other than with our supervisor. She never told me your name, she used to call you X. I had no idea until we sat down at that bar, and then I wasn't sure what to do."

The realisation of what Raven was telling him was dawning on George's face. "That's why you made me leave. To make your phone call. To your supervisor?"

"Yes," replied Raven, calmly. "We needed to make…arrangements."

"Arrangements?" repeated George, sounding concerned. "What does that mean?"

"My last session with Tara she became very abusive. I was concerned for the safety of X. I had already raised it with my supervisor and he had suggested a referral to a facility that specialise in rehabilitation. Unfortunately-"

"I called you and then you realised who X was. Meaning you realised that I might be in danger," added George, putting two and two together. He slumped in his seat slightly. "I forced your hand."

"That's one way of putting it," replied Raven, slightly impressed he had picked up on her story so fast. "Tara is now being collected by the facility, so is no longer my client. I am no longer bound by my confidentiality and here we are. Are you mad with me?"

George looked over at her, thoughts bouncing all over the place. "No, I'm not mad," he managed finally. "It's just a lot to take in."

"I understand," replied Raven, kindly. "I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you all this."

George shrugged. "Dude, it's not easy whatever way you frame it. Poor Tara. I wish it didn't have to be like this."

"Me too," replied Raven, tilting her head to the side. She paused for a moment. "Look, I need to go into work to process all this paperwork and speak to my supervisor. Feel free to use the shower, eat something and relax until I'm back. Once we've heard that Tara is safely in custody I'll drive you back home myself. It shouldn't be longer than a few hours. Will that be okay?"

"Yeah," replied George, clearly lost in his thoughts. "That's fine."

"Okay," said Raven, slowly standing up. "I'm so sorry, George. I really wish that it didn't have to be this way too."

George looked up at her and gave a genuine smile. "I know. Thanks Raven."

* * *

In her office, Raven quickly set about her work trying to get things in order for Tara's referral. It took longer than she thought, but she felt it was important to get it right, for Tara's sake. Sighing, she put the final piece of paper away. Reaching for her phone she decided it was time to update Bruce.

"Morning, Raven," came the cool voice of her supervisor. "How did it go?"

"It's all organised. TITAN are going to pick up Tara and escort her to the premises. The police are aware of the referral and will be on standby to support if necessary. I've now told my friend the news as Tara is no longer my client. He seems okay, a little upset and shaken. But that's understandable."

"That sounds like the best outcome we could have hoped for," said Bruce, a lighter tone to his voice. "The best of a bad situation, anyway. How are you holding up?"

"Truthfully Bruce," started Raven, feeling uncomfortable. "I think this whole experience has shown me that I'm really not okay at the moment. I don't think I want to even do this anymore. It doesn't feel like me. Like who I really am."

"I see," replied Bruce, his tones calm. "I can understand how you might feel that way, but to walk away is a huge decision. What's led you there?"

"Bruce, you've known me a long time," said Raven definitely. "You don't think I'm crazy, do you?"

"No," replied Bruce, simply. "I don't think you're crazy. Why would you say that?"

"Lately, I've been having these strange feelings like I don't belong here. I've been having trouble sleeping. Strange hallucinations. I don't know if I'm overworked or it's something else, but it's all really getting to me."

"Raven," stated Bruce. "If there is one thing for sure, you're one of the smartest people I know. Intelligent and kind. You are empathic towards other people to a fault. But you just don't know how to be 'normal'. To have a normal life. That side of your life is non-existent. Your work-life balance has always been out. Maybe this is your body's way of trying to redress that. Either way, it seems to me that you need to take some time off to think about this decision."

"Yes," responded Raven. "I do. I'll clear my diary for the week and then be in touch. Thanks for believing in me, Bruce."

"No matter what you decide that won't change," replied Bruce. "Just take care of yourself, kid. Take some time to work out what you want. I'll be here when you're ready."

"Thanks. Bye, Bruce," stated Raven, and she put the phone down. She felt a strange sense of dread in her stomach. Bruce's advice was sound, but she really felt that something about this life wasn't right. Nonetheless, a week off was a good place to start. She packed her things up and told Arella to cancel all of her clients for the week.

'This could be a fresh beginning,' thought Raven, hopefully. Her phone began to buzz in her pocket. It was Richard's number. Raven picked up, a little confused. It wasn't usual for her friend to call her during the daytime. "Richard?"

"RAVEN!" came the loud voice down the other end of the phone. "You need to get back to your apartment now! It's Tara, she's escaped the TITAN facility. We're looking for her now, but I need to know you and George are safe. Go!"

"Wait, I—" started Raven, but the line had gone dead. Her stomach did several flips as she grabbed her stuff and ran out of the door, leaving Arella wide mouthed and confused in her wake.

* * *

Raven ran up the stairs to her apartment, breathlessly. Her hair was flowing out behind her like a long dark line as she made her way to her floor. She gasped as she tore open the door and ran down the corridor. What she saw next made her heart stop.

Her front door was ajar.

Raven's feet froze, and she felt her grip on her handbag slip. She recovered it with her free hand and took a few tentative steps towards the door. Pushing it slowly, she saw her kitchenette come into view. But something was very wrong. Splashes of red stained the surfaces and walls and she saw Tara stood in the middle of it, covered from head to toe.

"Tara!" she gasped, her hand rushing to her mouth. "What are you doing?"

"YOU!" shrieked Tara, a knife in her hand. She glared at Raven angrily, her long hair tousled and wild. "YOU."

"Tara, listen to me—"

"NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME!" shouted Tara angrily, gesturing at her with the knife. "I will have what is rightfully mine. You won't get in my way."

"W-what are you saying?" stammered Raven, trying to stay cool. She raised her hands up gradually. "Slow down, what's happened?"

"I knew it! I knew you were against me from the start! You were trying to hurt me, weren't you? Everyone always wants to hurt me!"

"That's not true," replied Raven, keeping her voice calm. "That's not what I want."

"You tried to get them to take me away!" Tara squealed, furiously. "They were going to lock me up, but I stopped them! I ran away, and I knew where to find you. But I didn't realise what else I would find."

Tara's eyes dropped to the floor. In the centre of the blood lay a body that wasn't moving. George.

"No," whispered Raven, feeling tears in her eyes. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead, but she didn't want any further harm to come to him. Her mind was racing with what to say and do. It felt critical. "Tara, listen to me. You need help. You know that you need it right now. I was just trying to get you somewhere safe, somewhere they could help you."

"How exactly? By locking me up? By getting me sent out of the way?" fumed Tara, her rage out of control. Raven was trying to slip her hand into her bag to call Richard and alert him to her situation. It was no good, Tara noticed and raised the knife wrathfully. "Drop that bag or I'll—"

Raven dropped the bag to the floor and raised her hands to the sky. "No bag, see. I've dropped it Tara, just like you wanted."

The young woman took a cautious step towards her client. Tara looked at her warily. "What are you doing? I'll kill him!"

"You don't want to kill him, Tara. You don't want to do this. If you do you'll end up somewhere much worse than TITAN. You'll end up in prison. You don't want them to put you in a cage, do you?"

Tara considered the therapist's words, as Raven edged ever closer to her.

"You don't want them to put you away, Tara, you just said that," tried Raven again, calmly moving forward. "Just put the knife down and we can talk about this."

Tara kept perfectly still, the blade in her hand. Her hair was hanging over her face, obscuring her expression. Raven swallowed and tried once more. "Don't let this be you, Tara. You can beat this. You can get through it."

The blonde's motionless frame stood like a mannequin from a horror film, surrounded by blood. Now she was close enough, Raven could see George wasn't breathing. She felt terrified, like something was about to snap.

And then it did. Tara's head shot upwards, her blue eyes burning into Raven.

"No. This is it. I've made up my mind. This is the end of the road for me," she said, calmly. She raised the knife above her and began to plunge it down towards George.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Raven at the top of her lungs, reaching out with her hands. "GEORGE!"

Everything went black for a moment…and then…

* * *

Raven sat bolt upright in her bed, tubes and wires all over her, struggling to get free. Four blurry shapes came towards her as she screamed over and over. She was absolutely hysterical and began thrashing around. She heard something explode in the background.

"Ahh!" Raven wailed, flinging her arms about to try and stand up. The sound of the explosion had alarmed her, making her panic further.

"Raven, it is just your powers, don't fret!" said a voice she knew. "You need to calm down, friend."

'My powers?' thought Raven, confused. 'What does that mean?' The four figures were dotted around her. They had pushed her back down onto the bed and were holding her down until she calmed. She couldn't work out what was taking place. Where was she? Who was she? What was happening? These were the voices from the blackness. But they were real?

"I think she may be sufferin' from some form of amnesia," said another familiar voice. "But she's awake, I don't believe it…"

"Friend, can you hear me?" said the first voice. A female one, Raven realised. She nodded weakly. "Oh, did you see, friends? She nodded."

"Raven, can you speak?" another voice, calmer. "Can you talk to us? Tell us what you need?"

"Help," said Raven, panicked and reaching for the figures. Words were not coming easily to her, although she couldn't fathom why. 'You need to help me, please! They've murdered him! Why can't the see the body or Tara?' she thought angrily, wishing she could communicate her thoughts to them all.

"Hey, whatever happened it was all a dream," said the soft, calm voice soothingly. "You're safe now. Can you hear what I'm saying? You're safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes," managed Raven weakly, although she didn't feel even partially safe. She blinked to try and clear her vision, but it wasn't working. She was confused as to her surroundings. She tried to speak again. "Where?"

"Do you mean where are you? You're at home," replied the calm voice. "You're at home with us. Your friends."

"Apartment?" replied Raven, hoarsely. She was confused. This didn't look like her home.

"No," replied the calm voice, sounding a little more concerned. "At the tower. Titan's tower."

The tower by the sea. Raven felt a jolt of a vague memory. Yes, Titan's tower! That was her home. Wasn't it? She rubbed her eyes with a free hand, feeling puzzled. It was worrying her that she was unable to see. She needed to tell them somehow. Why were words so hard all of a sudden?

"Blind," she managed eventually, pointing at her face with her free hand.

"Blind? I don't think she can see properly. Cy, what's going on?" said the voice, moving away from her. She could still see their blurry shapes but couldn't make out what was happening. "Why can't she see?"

"Not sure," replied the voice she now identified. Cy. Cyborg. That's right. "Hard to say. I'm guessing it's because of the length of time she's been under."

"Friend, it is so good to hear your voice again," started the female voice, moving closer to her. She could vaguely see two jade eyes looking down at her, through the fog. She wrinkled her eyebrows. That voice, that inflection. Kory? No wait, that's not right. It was coming back to her slowly.

"Star-fire," she said, softly and in a broken way. She felt her friend's hand wrap around her own. Raven gave it a little squeeze.

"You remember me?" said Starfire, sounding pleased. "Friend, I am so glad you are alright."

The other figure moved closer to her, dark hair and a dark mass around his eyes. She recognised him, of course it was…

"Rob-robin," she stammered.

"It's me," replied Robin, squeezing Raven's shoulder. "You're in the medical bay. You're safe here, don't worry. Cy is just running some tests, okay?"

"Cy," Raven lifted her hand to point at the mass that she could see in the distance, familiar blues and greys. She felt like a child sounding out her alphabet. "Cyborg."

"Hey, Raven," replied Cyborg, clearly busy but pleased to hear her say his name. "Glad to see you back girl. I've missed you."

Raven's eyes scanned the room in her blurry state. One missing. She saw a green and purple haze standing back from the bed. She reached out towards it.

"You," she started, flexing her hand towards the figure. It approached her, slowly.

"For a moment I thought you'd forgotten me," said an all too familiar voice, quietly. "Hey, Rae."

Two familiar emerald eyes popped into view, and Raven felt her head reeling. He wasn't dead. Was he? She saw him being murdered by Tara. How could this be?

"You!" exclaimed Raven muddled, as the figure approached her bedside coming closer still. "Dead!"

The emerald eyes gazed down at her full of concern. She grabbed the figure haphazardly in her haze, trying to find his hands. He gave them to her and she squeezed them tightly, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey Rae, don't cry," whispered the figure, soothingly. "I'm absolutely fine. Not dead. Promise. See?"

He pushed her hands onto his chest, so she could feel his heartbeat. The relief flooded over her. This wasn't George. But it was. Wasn't it?

"Yeah, he's been saving all his rubbish jokes up for ya," mocked Cyborg from the background, trying to lighten the mood. The figure turned towards Cyborg momentarily, Raven sensed he was giving him an angry look. What was his name? Not George. No. The G was right but not the rest.

"G…" started Raven, slowly. It was coming back to her. The faces all came closer as she started to mumble. "G…"

Starfire's face bobbed into vision. "Friend, what are you trying to say?"

"G-gar," she managed, softly. The figure squeezed her hands again. That was right. Gar.

"Garfield," Raven managed, smiling. She finally felt safe again, and closing her eyes she let sleep take her.


	7. Chapter 7 - Present and Past

**Author's note:** **Well, the secret is out – Raven has been in a coma. The timeline now will shift from AU back to the DC world. I know this may be confusing to some, so thank you for sticking with it. As I said, this is only the beginning of the story. My good pal BB is going to get some air time in this chapter, hope you all enjoy. Thanks for the kind reviews – DimitraMitsos, thanks for your kind review and well done for hypothesising correctly! Gold Real Name – Thank you! This story will not be over any time soon, we're just getting started so buckle your seatbelt! Quick AN about the story, in my world Robin and Star are not together yet (just the way it is!) Sorry if this does not fit with the canon story of the TT cartoon. Despite this minor issue, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans.**

* * *

 **Chapter seven – Present and Past**

Raven's sleeping form was curled in the bed, still surrounded by machines and wires. The other four friends stood at the far end of the medbay in a kind of huddle, speaking in hushed voices. Raven breathed rhythmically, unaware of the troubled conversation that was occurring between them.

"Well, the scans confirm it," said Cyborg, quietly. "She's not gone back into the coma, she's just sleepin' is all."

"Friends!" exclaimed Starfire, a worried look on her face. "Whilst I am pleased to hear of her condition, I am concerned about our friend's state of mind. What was all Raven's screaming and shouting about upon her awakening? She was saying strange words as if possessed by some _flarnop!_ This does not seem like our friend to be so panicked, she is so calm and collected. I cannot bear seeing her like this. _"_

"I know it's upsetting, Star," Robin soothed, placing his hand over hers. "But if she has been in a coma all this time it's only fair to assume she may have been in some kind of dream state. It may have been her only way to keep her brain active whilst she was under."

"I see," said Starfire, slowly. "So, our friend has been creating a world to keep herself safe in whilst she has been healing?"

"Yes, I think that might be the case," replied Robin, nodding slowly. "Which means that now things are going to feel very strange and confusing for her coming back into our 'reality' from the one she's become accustomed to."

"Oh no," sniffled Star, miserably. "Poor, poor Raven. We have just got her back and she is already lost again."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Star," said Cyborg, kindly. "This kind of thing can happen – even to humans. But Raven is half-demon, who knows how vivid a dream like state could have been for her. It might take her some time to come back but eventually…she should remember who she is and what actually happened to her. The fact she's cognitive _at all_ is a miracle."

"That makes sense, Cy," nodded Robin, affirmatively. "But there's one thing bothering me. What's wrong with her vision? It was clear that she wasn't able to see us all properly unless we got up close."

"Yeah, that's an issue," replied Cy, shaking his head. "Can't explain that one. Maybe because she hasn't used her 'real' eyes in a while they need some time to readjust. Past that…I don't have any idea. We may have to get the Doc back in to run some tests."

"Yeah, it seems that way," sighed Robin, running his hand through his hair. He looked back towards the group. "It's been a long few months. But Raven waking up _has_ to be a positive outcome in any case."

"Yes, a great relief," added Starfire, nodding vehemently. "Friend Beast Boy, you have not spoken in some time."

The shapeshifter looked thoughtful for some time before acknowledging the Tameranean's statement. "Why did she look at me like that? Grab me like that? She said 'dead'. She thought I was dead."

"It's got to be some part of this strange dream state, Beast Boy," responded Robin, sensibly. "We just don't know for sure, but it must be down to her coma. Don't take it personally."

"But…" began the young man, pausing slightly. "But, she looked so sad."

Robin placed his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder supportively. "I know. It's hard for all of us to see her in this state. But we have to be strong for Raven now. The worst might be over, but we aren't back to normal yet and until we are then we need to keep going. For her."

"Yes," nodded Starfire, placing her hand onto Beast Boy's other shoulder. "We can get through this together, I am just knowing it."

Cyborg placed one hand either side of him to support Robin and Starfire. "You got my vote. B?"

Beast Boy was looking down at the floor, thoughtfully. He looked up and gave a small grin to his teammates before lifting his own arms to support them. "If it's for Rae, I'm in."

The team stood there for a few moments, recovering their strength from the events that had just happened. Suddenly, Starfire's eyes shot to her left and over to the sleeping Azarathian. She pointed, excitedly. "Friends, look!"

The other three turned quickly to follow her gaze. Raven was floating a few feet above the bed, encased in a blue glow. Robin rubbed his head in awe. "She's healing herself. Already."

"Atta girl, Raven," said Cyborg, pumping his fist in the air quietly. "Booyah. Keep on fightin'."

Beast Boy didn't say anything. He stared at Raven's floating frame and felt a flicker of hope ignite within him. He couldn't help but to recall how much of a journey the team had been on in the past few months, since the accident. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to remember.

* * *

 _3 months earlier_

The sun was shining down on Titan's tower; summer was in full flow. The city seemed more peaceful at this time of year, with people moving around at a slower pace and smiling more often. Even the Teen Titans were enjoying a well-deserved day off, resting on their little beach in the sunshine. The five friends weren't really young anymore, despite their team name. With all of them over nineteen, except for Beast Boy who was eighteen, they were essentially a group of adults. Their appearances had changed over the years, with maturity and time taking its toll.

Cyborg had grown taller and broader, if that was possible. Today he had waded into the sea and perched on an outer rock, sitting peacefully with a fishing rod in his hand. Starfire and Robin were wandering around the beach, looking at the different sea creatures that were on display. Starfire's hair nearly reached her ankles; she had grown taller and filled out into her more mature female physique. Robin's hair had grown longer, and he was taller and more muscular than before.

"Look!" squealed Starfire, excitedly. "This little creature is star-shaped! I was clearly meant to find it!"

"That's a starfish," explained Robin, laughing lightly. "They're always around on this beach for some reason. I think they like the rocks."

'You like more than just the rocks on this beach,' thought Beast Boy wickedly, though he didn't say it out loud. Despite all their romantic endeavours over the years and several 'moments', nothing had progressed between the two friends – much to the disbelief of the rest of the team. Beast Boy was relaxing on the beach in the sunshine, with some shades on. He had grown considerably over the past four years and filled out into the body of a more mature man; he was tall and lean, but the muscular structure of a young man was starting to show. Currently, the shapeshifter was enjoying the sunshine and listening to his friends having fun. He glanced over to his right to see the fifth Titan, sitting under a tree in the shade.

Raven had also changed over time, her long lilac hair hung down around her shoulders and she had matured much as Starfire had physically. However, her height had altered little, making her still seem petite. Her face had aged from not only the sands of time but also the difficult situations she had been through over the years. In some ways she was different following the destruction of Trigon, such as a better control over her powers. Some things hadn't changed though; her head was firmly in a book and her hood was up. She clearly didn't want to be disturbed. Beast Boy smiled at her peaceful posture. He knew that in her own way Raven was having a nice day too. He knew better than to pester her too much these days, although he did still love to send some jokes her way on a regular basis.

The peace was broken by a shout from the half-robot. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT! I CAUGHT ONE!"

Beast Boy sat up, feeling indignant. "Hey, dude! Put it back, will ya?"

"No way man, I'm going to cook it up and eat it!" exclaimed Cyborg, an evil look in his eye as he held the fish on his line. He brought it closer to his face, menacingly. "Come here little fishy…!"

"DUDE!" shouted Beast Boy, feeling the ire rising in his voice. "Put it back!"

"Haha, you're too easy green man," replied Cyborg, sticking his tongue out. He unhooked the fish and released it. "I wasn't really gonna eat it, chill."

Beast Boy glared at Cyborg angrily, but there was a smile on his face. "I hate you."

"I know you do," replied Cy, giving him a grin back and wading his way back to the shore, the now empty rod still in his hand. From the other side of the beach Starfire and Robin were giggling together and shoving each other back and forth. Beast Boy propped himself up on his elbows and lowered his sunglasses, shaking his head at the pair.

"I wish they'd hurry up and get together already," came a dry voice from his right. Raven was glancing over the top of her book at the couple, a small, sarcastic smile on her face. Beast Boy looked over to her and then smiled.

"I was just thinking the same thing!" exclaimed the changeling, excitedly. "Hey, Rae - we were on the same wavelength for once!"

"Miracles do happen," responded Raven, but the smile was still there. She buried her head back in her book and Beast Boy looked away, chuckling. She had mellowed a little bit lately, much to everyone's surprise and relief. These days she even let him get away with his nickname for her without a cross word. Now _that_ was progress.

"It's a really beautiful day today," said the young man, to no one in particular. Flicking his shades back on, he lay back onto the sand and sighed. Cyborg had made it back to the shore and plonked down next to his friend. No sooner had he landed than Starfire shot over to the group with Robin in tow.

"Friends! Robin and I were just discussing how hungry we are and wondered if you would all like to accompany us to get the pizza?"

"HELL YEAH!" shouted BB and Cyborg in unison, sitting bolt upright and grinning. Starfire looked over to Raven hopefully. She shrugged and then turned back to her book again. "I could eat."

"Then it is agreed!" exclaimed Star, clapping her hands together excitedly. Robin gave a thumbs-up and gestured to the metal man.

"C'mon Cy, let's get the vehicles and head out."

The two got up and walked back to the tower, chatting amicably. Beast Boy lay back down, hoping to soak up a few more rays of sunshine before the day came to an end. Starfire wandered over to the tree and sat down next to Raven. They began to talk in hushed voices. Beast Boy felt his elven ears twitch slightly. A fortunate side effect of being part animal was that his hearing was excellent. The changeling often used it to his advantage, particularly where eavesdropping was concerned. He tuned in, pretending to still be sunbathing.

"You know you really should just tell him," said Raven quietly, snapping her book shut.

"I don't know what you are meaning, friend," replied Star, evasively. She was fiddling with something absently and shifting around on the sand. Raven gave a soft laugh and leant back against the tree.

"Star, over the past few years we've become close. You're my best friend. I can tell when you like someone. I know what's going on between you both. You have had enough 'moments' over the years for all of us to pick up on it, for goodness sake. More than that I'm an empath, Starfire. I know what you feel."

Starfire looked uncomfortable and shifted about again. Beast Boy couldn't see but he imagined she was blushing and could hear her heart picking up pace. "I don't know…it is difficult for me to know what the right thing is to do. We are such good friends and I do not want to spoil that or make things awkward for the team."

Beast Boy stifled a small chuckle, so as not give himself away. He didn't know what was funnier to him, the fact that Starfire was so in denial about her feelings for Robin or the fact that she was taking relationship advice from Raven. Of all people.

"Starfire, listen," stated Raven, calmly and quietly. "If your heart feels love for someone strongly enough then you will overcome all of those obstacles. Some of us don't have the luxury of a normal, straightforward life. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be allowed to be happy."

Beast Boy's ears twitched as he listened to the Azarathian's little speech. He couldn't believe that Raven was coming out with such wise words about love. What surprised him more was the Tamaranean's response.

"Friend Raven," replied Starfire, genuinely. "You always give the best advice to me in matters of the heart. Thank you. I just hope that this can be true for all of us. We all deserve the happiness."

Beast Boy was in disbelief at what he was hearing, and he almost gave himself away. He swore he could feel Raven's glare hitting him, but he didn't dare look over. Before there was any chance for their conversation to progress, the other two Titans arrived with the vehicles and they all piled in to head over to the pizza place.

* * *

As they arrived, Beast Boy noticed that Raven had withdrawn and become much quieter following her conversation with Star. She barely spoke during the meal, she picked at her pizza and spent most of her time sneakily reading her book under the table. Garfield knew that she only did this when she was really upset about something. It was Raven's form of escape. He didn't want to mention anything to her, but he wondered if the conversation she had with Starfire had touched something within her. Perhaps the incident with Malchior? He instantly felt guilty for his thoughts about her not understanding love. After all this time had passed, it was easy to forget that the young woman had ever had any romantic interactions at all. The spirits of the other team members were high, and no one else seemed to notice the change in Raven's mood. He joined in with their fun but couldn't stop thinking about what might be wrong.

After they were done, they all piled back into the T-car and R-Cycle and headed home. Starfire sat in the front with Cyborg, leaving the other two on the back seats. Beast Boy risked a glance towards Raven. Her face was turned away from him and from her reflection he could see she was firmly staring out of the window with her hood up. He looked at her cautiously for a few moments, then looked down to his hands absently. Maybe there were sides to her that even he wasn't aware of. There was so much about her that none of them knew, and yet for some reason the changeling was always so curious to know more.

"It sounds like y'all died in the back," said Cyborg suddenly, breaking everyone in the car's thoughts. "What's up?"

"Nothing," replied Raven, quietly. She was still staring out of the window, unblinking.

"Cy, it's your fault for not putting any tunes on," interrupted Beast Boy, trying to rescue the girl from any further questions. "We can't help it if your taste in music is lame."

"Oh, is that so, green fuzzy elf?" responded Cyborg, grinning evilly. "Well get a load of this!"

A loud tune began to blast out of the speakers, and the rest of the journey consisted of BB and Cyborg arguing over musical genres and Starfire asking what each band name meant along the way. Raven was silent the whole way home. Finally, they made it back to the tower and all got out of the car.

"Everything okay, Rae?" asked BB, quietly as Cy and Star moved forward. Raven looked over at him suspiciously but gave a tiny, unconvincing smile.

"I'm fine," she stated simply, and turning started to follow their friends. Garfield knew better than to push her any further and followed his friends into the building. Everyone piled into ops room, and Starfire floated around happily.

"Such fun today. We should all watch the movie to finish off this wondrous time!" she exclaimed, excitedly. "Yes, friends?"

"Sure, Star," replied Robin, smiling at the girl. She blushed slightly and looked towards the other two who nodded in affirmation. Raven clutched her book to her chest and shook her head.

"Sorry, Star," she said, in dull tones. "I'm tired, I'll see you all tomorrow."

She turned on her heel and left the others in her wake, making her way towards her room. The Titans seemed to accept her decision quickly; even as a young adult Raven was often antisocial, and the team knew better than to try and change her mind. Beast Boy couldn't decide whether to follow her or not. Normally, he probably would have erred on the side of caution and sat down with the others. But for some reason, he felt compelled to check she was okay. Whether it was animal instincts or a strong sense of empathy, he wasn't sure. But he could detect that something had upset his friend and he wanted to see how she was.

"I'll be back in a sec," he told Cy, who was fixing some popcorn and snacks for their impromptu movie night. "Go ahead and start, I won't be long."

"No worries, B," said Cyborg absently, his head buried in a cupboard. Star and Robin were chatting - too wrapped up in their own world to notice - so Beast Boy slipped out quietly and ran after the girl as quickly as he could. He rounded the corner just as she was about to step inside her dark room and called out to her.

"Hey Raven, wait!"

She turned back to look at him, surprise on her face. "Beast Boy? If you're going to try to convince me to watch a film with you all then you can save your breath. I'm tired and I want to meditate."

"No, that's not it," replied the shapeshifter, continuing to walk down the corridor so he was standing next to her. "Rae, are you _sure_ you're okay? You look like there's something on your mind."

Raven tilted her head and turned toward him, her book held in front of her like a shield. "I told you I was fine, didn't I?" she countered, but her voice didn't sound certain. Beast Boy raised his eyebrow at her slightly and rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed way.

"Is it the conversation you and Star were having earlier?" he said, uncertainly. He knew this was probably going to create an explosion, but he had to know if she was alright.

Raven looked at him sternly. "I _knew_ you were eavesdropping, Garfield."

He grimaced at the mention of his real name, knowing he was in trouble. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. But you guys were so close, and these ears are so sensitive," he gestured up at his pointy ears, in a defensive manner. "Sorry, Raven. I wasn't intending to listen in on your conversation. But because I did and I'm an idiot and…look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Raven sighed, defeated. "I suppose I can't be too angry at you. We _were_ talking out in the open." She paused and lowered the book and her lilac eyes to the floor. She pulled her hood down, her hair spilling out over her shoulders and then looked back up at her friend, a faint blush on her face. "I suppose talking about matters of the heart always brings up my old feelings from…the past. I shouldn't let it affect me but somehow it almost always does."

The changeling nodded knowingly, his eyes locking onto hers. "I'm sorry, Rae. I can really feel ya. It's not a nice place to be taken back to."

Raven sighed heavily and leant against her door. "Look, it wasn't my intention to bring everyone down. You were all having such a nice day. I just thought it was best to keep myself quiet and out the way whilst I was feeling like this."

"Well, thanks for telling me the truth. A problem shared is a problem halved, right?" said Garfield, grinning at her. Raven returned his smile with a much smaller one, but he was glad she wasn't angry with him. He glanced down at the book in her hands.

"I noticed your book title earlier," he stated, smiling. "I didn't have you down as a romantic book type."

Raven blushed slightly and held the book closer to her chest defensively. "What do you mean?"

" _From Therapy with Love?_ " read Garfield, tilting his head to one side. "It doesn't really sound like something I would have expected you to be reading."

Raven rolled her eyes and scowled at him. "It's a good _story_ , Beast Boy. That's the important part of a book, generally. Not that you would know."

"Hey!" responded Beast Boy indignantly, before realising that she was probably right. He shrugged. "What's it about anyway?"

"I'm not telling you," replied Raven, smugly. "You'll have to read it if you want to know."

Beast Boy reached out and snatched the book from her hand, childishly. "Fine, maybe I will then!"

"Hey!" growled Raven, moving closer and reaching out to take the book back. Beast Boy laughed at her and held it above his head. Their height difference now meant he had an advantage over her, until she decided to use her powers, of course.

"You're blushing!" he teased, waving the book around above her. Raven gave him a death glare and reached up for it in with irritated tone.

"No, I'm _not,_ " she countered, glowering at him. "Give it back. _Now_ , Garfield."

There it was again, she was definitely getting angry with him now. Beast Boy couldn't help himself, there was something about her giving him attention like this that he enjoyed, and he didn't know why. "Well I'm definitely not giving it you back, now."

Raven crossed her arms and her eyes began to glow white. Her long strands of violet hair were raising around her face. "Azarath, Metrion, Z—"

"Alright, alright," conceded Beast Boy, laughing. He brought the book down to her level and offered it out to her. The changeling noticed how closely they were standing. He looked at her, blushing slightly himself. Raven raised her eyebrows at him.

"Who's blushing now?" she teased sarcastically, taking the book out of his hands. The changeling laughed at her counter-attack and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Suddenly, he felt brave.

"Hey, Raven," he started, feeling his heart beating a little faster in his chest. "There was something I wanted to ask you."

"What now?" replied Raven, with a small sense of exasperation. Beast Boy pressed her just a little further.

"You know what you said to Star, about everyone deserving to be happy no matter what obstacles are in their way. Do you believe that?"

Raven's face softened slightly, and she shrugged. "Yes, I do. I just think that for some people it's more…complicated than others."

"So, despite everything you've been through, do you even believe that for yourself?" asked the changeling, now full of curiosity. He'd jumped in this deep, why not go all the way whilst the empath was being so open with him. She fascinated him in some way that he couldn't quite understand himself. Raven's face changed again, and she looked down at the floor pensively. Her lilac eyes looked up towards him and there was a strange sense behind them. It made all of Beast Boy's hairs stand up on end. He held her stare and yet it felt like it was going on for moments too long, although neither of them dared to look away. What was happening?

"Rae," he breathed, unsure what to do. He noticed the Azarathian was blushing again and could hear her heart beat picking up pace. She moved towards him, almost in a trance. She touched his arm lightly, but with intention. Beast Boy was so shocked by the fact she had initiated any form of physical contact with him, he instinctively took a step backwards away from her with a shocked expression on his face. Instantly, he realised this was the wrong decision. Raven looked mortified, as the trance broke. She pulled her hood up and tucked her cloak back around herself protectively, looking down at the floor.

Garfield felt panic rise in his chest, along with confusion as to what had just happened between them. "Raven, I—"

The familiar siren sounded, bathing the hallway in red and flashing obnoxiously at them. The pair both looked over at it cagily, knowing that they would be needed imminently.

"Rae," tried Beast Boy again, looking at her pleadingly. He knew they needed to speak about what had happened, but the timing couldn't be worse. "We need to talk about this."

"Later," said Raven, coldly. She shifted through the floor and vanished, in a flash of black. Garfield stared at the spot where she had been standing for a moment, feeling sick. He knew that he couldn't waste any more time contemplating right now. Turning into a cheetah, he raced off to meet up with his other team mates.


	8. Chapter 8 - Pain and Hurt

**Author's note:** **Oh dear, BBRae drama…! I will keep updating over the festive period, don't fear. :) For the kindly reviewers, I can only offer my thanks for sticking with this strange AU hybrid story I have made up in my spare time. Sanzojoe – A little backstory before we resume where our lovely Rae woke up. All will be revealed and more with regards to Tara, George and the rest in time ;) Thank you all again for your kindness. I hope you continue to enjoy my fic - this chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I wanted it to be self contained. We're just getting started :)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.**

* * *

 **Chapter eight – Pain and Hurt**

Skidding to a halt by the big screen, Beast Boy shifted back into his human form and looked at the chaos ensuing in front of him. "What's going on?"

"Cinderblock is destroying downtown," said Robin, urgently. "He's headed towards the industrial part of the city, and there is a children's hospital nearby."

"No," squeaked Starfire her hand covering her mouth, floating up in the air in shock. "We must help them!"

"It's not a good place for a fight but we have no choice," replied Robin, shaking his head. "I'm going to call the hospital and ask them to evacuate but we need to get down there and do some damage control now."

The changeling's green eyes flicked to the right and he saw Raven standing at the back of the group in the shadows, her eyes firmly on the screen. She didn't acknowledge his presence. Cyborg was typing into his arm and looked up sharply.

"T-car is primed and ready to go," he stated, starting to make for the garage. "Who's hitching a ride?"

Robin turned to look at the team authoritatively. "Star, you go with Cyborg. See what the situation is like from the ground. I'll flank on the R-cycle. Beast Boy, Raven. You two approach from the skies, keep us covered and make sure we can see if he's heading too close to the hospital. I think it's unlikely they will evacuate everyone in time if he decides to head there."

Everyone was looking at Robin attentively. They all nodded, understanding their orders. Robin nodded back towards them. "Let's do it then. Titans GO!" The group all scattered from the ops room, leaving it in silence.

"Hey, Raven wait up!" shouted Beast Boy, running after her as she headed for the roof. She ignored him and shifted through the wall, evasively. The changeling rolled his eyes and gave a small sigh. When Raven had made her mind up to shut off from them it was almost impossible to get through to her. He reached the roof as she was about to take off.

"Wait, Rae, if I could just—"

"I said _later_ ," spat Raven, with some venom. Her eyes were glowing white and she took off into the air, before Beast Boy had time to retort. He frowned at her, his own eyes flashing anger. It was starting to frustrate him now, but there was no time for it. He took to the air as a green falcon, soaring off after the empath. He knew that Raven was aware that he was unable to speak in his animal form and glared over at her. She was staring straight ahead, ignoring his presence entirely. Her communicator suddenly beeped, and she looked down.

"Robin."

"Raven, what is your ETA?" said Robin, over the roar of his cycle. "They've started the evac at the hospital but there's no way they will make it in time unless we hold him up."

There was a huge crashing sound from the other end of the communicator, and the two Titans heard the R-cycle swerve out of the way of something large heading its way.

"No time to talk, I'm here," gabbled Robin, sounding distracted. "Get here as soon as you can."

Raven put her communicator away and sped off faster than before, without a word to Garfield. He groaned internally but didn't bother to make a fuss this time, swooping after her. There was a huge smoke cloud billowing up between the buildings and the duo headed towards the chaos. Raven looked at the scene warily, hovering in the air. There were pieces of debris being thrown everywhere up the narrow streets. Robin was right, this was a less than ideal place for a fight, no room to manoeuvre and little visibility when it was filled with plumes of smoke. Raven narrowed her eyes and retrieved her communicator. Beast Boy landed on a nearby building and ran to the edge, trying to see what was going on below.

"Robin, we are above Cinderblock's suggested position but it's impossible to see," said Raven into the communicator, her eyes darting back and forth. "Can you confirm your position?"

"Negative," returned Robin's voice, crashes and whooshing noises all around him. "I can't see where Cinderblock is, but I know he has to be here somewhere. This place is falling apart. Can't confirm my exact location other than to say I'm in the smoke somewhere."

Raven concentrated hard and tried to locate her friends. She could sense Robin in the smoke coming from one angle and the other two Titans converging from the other direction. Beast Boy's sharp eyesight could see some headlights moving through the smog and made the same connection.

"Raven, they're heading to the middle," he shouted towards the empath. "What do we do?"

Raven looked at him blankly. Without a word, she turned back to the battlefield and flew in towards the centre. Garfield looked at her incredulously; he couldn't believe she was refusing to speak to him even in the centre of a dangerous situation like this one. Feeling the anger rise in his chest, he took to the skies again and followed her. The smoke was thick and dense, and all of the Titans were struggling to see anything.

"Oh man!" said Cyborg, pressing buttons in the T-car hopelessly. "This ain't workin', Star. My baby can't cope in this mess! We need to stop and go on foot."

Starfire nodded, and her eyes glowed green. She opened the door and flew out of the vehicle as it screeched to a halt. She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes from the dust and debris. It was filling her lungs and she began to cough a little.

"Friend Cyborg," she shouted down to the metal man, desperately. "Do you know Cinderblock's location?"

"I'm tryin', Star," replied Cy, pushing buttons on his arm and scanning the area. "This smoke is givin' me strange false readings."

It was hopeless, they were thrashing around in the dark. Despite Cinderblock's colossal size, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Beast Boy flew back up into the open air and took a few deep breaths. The smoke inhalation was starting to get to him. He remembered what Robin had said about the hospital and he headed for the highest building, so he could land and get his bearings. He had lost sight of the empath but knew that at this point trying to communicate was useless anyway. Hoping she would emerge soon, he looked across the city and saw the hospital in the near distance, full of cars and buses that were desperately trying to evacuate the poorly children. He grabbed his communicator so quickly he nearly dropped it down onto the ground. "Rob, I'm up on a roof and I confirm I can see the hospital. The evac is going ahead and Cinderblock is nowhere in sight. That means he has to be down there somewhere with you guys!"

"Good work, Beast Boy," came back Robin's voice. "Stay up there and be our eyes. Raven, what is your location?"

There was no response from the other end and Beast Boy looked at the communicator anxiously. Should he go down and help her?

"Robin!" came Starfire's voice, loudly. "Cyborg and I are on the ground, but we cannot see a thing! No Cinderblock, no people, no anything except for the rubble and the smoke! Building parts are falling and it feels most dangerous from here. Advise please!"

The line was silent for a moment, before the boy wonder's answer came through. "Star, take Cyborg and convene with Beast Boy's position up high. It's better if we can all stick together until we figure out where Cinderblock is. The primary concern is the hospital, and as long as we can see they are safe from up there we can work out our next move."

Suddenly, Star appeared from the cloud carrying Cyborg, a plume of smoke billowing behind her. Cy and Starfire were both coughing as they landed on the roof. "That smog is most vile!" exclaimed the Tamaranean princess, pulling a disgusted face. "Where is friend Raven?"

"She's still in there, somewhere," replied Garfield, anxiously. He looked down into the smoke but could see no further movement. Suddenly, a grapple hook hit the corner of the building, and Robin soared effortlessly into the air landing on the concrete roof with a gentle thud. He coughed and blinked back tears behind his mask. He looked around the group, noticing the missing Titan.

"Raven?" he asked, looking at the other three. They all shook their heads, and he turned to look over the edge towards the smoke holding his communicator towards his mouth. "Raven, what is your position? Please respond."

Beast Boy's heart rate was picking up. Something must be really wrong if she wasn't responding to Robin. He glanced over at the hospital and saw that there was no danger approaching them. He felt a temporary relief, which was quickly replaced by his fear for his friend's wellbeing. The shapeshifter realised if Cinderblock wasn't at the hospital he must be down there somewhere. Robin started to also look increasingly concerned. Garfield stepped forward.

"I'll go down and look for her," he said quickly, volunteering himself. "The technology is going crazy in all this but with my instincts there is a chance I might be able to locate her better than you guys."

Robin looked unconvinced at the suggestion, but he knew they needed to protect the empath. She could be in danger. "Beast Boy, I don't want you to compromise yourself. You look for Raven, but if you see Cinderblock come right back up to us, okay?"

The changeling nodded, his face calm. Starfire took a deep gulp of air and then stood next to him. "I shall go with him, to watch the back as they say."

"Star," started Robin, looking more concerned. Starfire smiled back at him, with reassuring eyes.

"She is my best friend, I want to help," she replied, softly. "You and Cyborg should stay here and try to locate her, in case she emerges. Friend Beast Boy and I can stick together and make sure we don't get hurt."

Robin nodded, and reluctantly and ran his hand through his dark hair. "I don't like this, but it seems like our only option. Be careful, please."

The two Titans nodded bravely and took to the air before swooping back into the black mist. Cyborg placed his hand on Robin's shoulder supportively as they watched from the edge.

* * *

'Raven, where are you?' thought Beast Boy, getting increasingly concerned. He couldn't shout out to her but focused his eagle eyes on looking for any sign of movement. Starfire flew next to him, brushing his feathers with her hand every so often to make sure they were still together.

"FRIEND!" she shouted loudly, her eyes visibly glowing green even through the smog. "Raven, where are you?!"

There was a sudden crash to their right and the duo leapt in shock. Cinderblock's arm had narrowly missed them from above. The arm vanished back into the dark mist and making it impossible to see where he was standing. It was masking him perfectly. Beast Boy changed into his human form as he landed on the floor. His eyes were sharper than the Tamaranean's. "STAR! He's there, Cinderblock! Look out!"

Starfire turned around as a huge hand was crashing down towards her. She shrieked and raised her arms to block her head waiting for the inevitable pain that would eventually hit her. It never came. She opened her eyes to see a black aura shielding her from harm. Raven floated next to her, white eyes glowing in the mist. Her hood had fallen down, and her violet hair was wildly blowing around her face.

"Starfire, are you okay?" asked Raven, looking towards the redhead. She nodded uncertainly to her friend, still in mild shock. "We need to get out of here, it's impossible to fight him in this smog. I couldn't get away safely on my own."

Beast Boy had seen what had occurred and was making his way towards the two young women, gabbling into his communicator. "Robin, we found Raven – she was fighting Cinderblock and was pinned down. We're all okay and I'm going to suggest heading back to your location as soon as we can."

"Get back here quickly!" shouted Robin, back down the line. His voice was full of concern. "Do NOT engage Cinderblock down there alone, it isn't safe."

"Got it," said BB, shoving the communicator away and skidding to a halt next to his two friends. "Robin says we gotta get back to the roof, _now_!"

Starfire and Raven looked over at him both nodded simultaneously, as another huge fist came out of the smoke towards them. Starfire pushed Raven down to the ground and it swept over their heads. They were in a jumble on the floor. Beast Boy helped them up and then pointed to a small gap in the smoke where blue sky was visible.

"We should go that way whilst it's clear," he said, quickly. "Just keep going straight up before he has chance to see us and attack again."

Starfire nodded and took to the air in an instant, vanishing into the smoky air in a flurry of red hair. Raven was a bit shaken from her fall and was trying to get her bearings. The changeling held her arm supportively. "Come on, Raven, we need to get out of here. It isn't safe!"

She pushed his arm off and pulled her hood up, evading his gaze. The young man looked at her in disbelief and shook his head sadly. Turning into a falcon, he took back to the skies, following Starfire's path. Turning he saw the Azarathian was also airborne behind him. And then it happened.

BOOM.

Both of Cinderblock's fists hit her like a freight train from the side. She had no chance to see it coming, no time to defend herself. Raven's lifeless body flew through the smoke disappeared from Beast Boy's view, propelling through several of the industrial buildings. It was as if time stood still as he heard the sound of her crashing down. Somehow the shapeshifter unstuck himself. He let out a shriek in his falcon form and swooped through the fog, following the trail she had left in her wake as fast as he could.

The building was dusty and cold, with iron girders dotted all around it. Beast Boy turned into his human form, coughing as the grime settled around him. He didn't know where Cinderblock was, but he didn't care about his own safety right now. He needed to find her.

Running across the concrete floor he shouted her name but there was no response. Then he saw her cloak, crumpled under some rubble, pressed against an iron girder. Her pale hand was protruding from under the pile of rocks.

"RAE!" he shrieked and turned into a gorilla, so he could make short work of the debris. He saw her lying there, unmoving and began to panic. He fumbled for his communicator feeling terror washing over him. "ROBIN! ROBIN! You need to get here right now! Raven is hurt, really hurt! She's not moving! What do I do? What do I do?"

"Calm down, Beast Boy," said Robin, softly. His voice held concern, but the changeling could tell he was trying to keep the situation as calm as possible. "Is she breathing? Can you check her to see her condition?"

Beast Boy looked over at the girl. He concentrated hard, attuning his ears to the sounds around him. He could hear her heart was still beating. He put his hand under her nose and felt some light breath on his fingers. She was alive. "Yes, yes she is breathing. And she has a heartbeat."

There was a sigh of relief on the end of the line. "You need to get her back to the tower away from here. It's not safe. We can't get to your location without risking our own welfare. Starfire made it back here in one piece, so the three of us will discuss the situation and make a decision as to what to do. I'll get Cy back to you right away to start treatment. Be calm, Beast Boy. We're right behind you, we can sort this out."

The communicator clicked off. Beast Boy's head was spinning with all the information he was trying to take in. His fight and flight instincts were in full swing, and he closed his eyes. He tried to calm his heartbeat down and took a few deep breaths. Eventually, he opened his eyes and looked over at Raven. She had blood running down her face and all over the back of her head. He saw it and felt a pang of pain running through his body. But he couldn't think about that now. He needed to try to save her whilst he still could. Swallowing, he turned into a pterodactyl, and clutched the small woman in his claws as gently as possible. There was a gap in the ceiling of the building and he knew that was their best route out. He heard more crashing and smashing and the sound of starbolts whizzing around next to him. The other three were engaging Cinderblock, trying to back the other two Titans up so they could escape. He knew that he needed to go. Now.

He didn't hesitate any longer. Taking to the skies he swooped back to the tower as quickly yet carefully as he could. He kept glancing down at the girl as they went through the air, soaring above the clouds. Her head was lolling lifelessly and there was crimson soaked over her lilac hair and on her uniform. He could feel the lump in his throat forming and shook his head. He narrowed his eyes, blinking back tears; this wasn't the time for getting upset. He needed to get her to safety first. Arriving at the tower, he placed her down gently on the roof and morphed into a gorilla. Garfield picked her up and carried her carefully down to the medical bay, trying to support her neck. There was always a bed prepared, white and crisp, ready for anyone who needed it. He placed her body gently down and listened hard. Her heart was still beating. That was good. He checked her breathing again. Still breathing. Okay. He took a few deep breaths and looked around the room. Now then, what could he do to help make her more comfortable whilst they waited for Cy? She was bleeding, he could try to staunch it. Running to the various cupboards he threw them open in the hope he would find something useful. Gauze. Bandages. Tape. Yes. He could use this. He ran back towards her and gently started to bandage the wound as best he could. She looked so strange with the dressing around her face, that he could help but allow himself to shed a few tears.

"Oh Rae," he wept, rubbing his nose with his free hand. "Why has this happened? Please be okay."

The blood had soaked onto the white sheets making them look macabre. Raven didn't respond, react or even flicker. He so desperately wanted to see her eyes again, even if they were glaring at him angrily. But she didn't move, she didn't open her eyes. Beast Boy tucked her in using the blankets that were there, in case she got cold. He stood there awkwardly, wondering where the others were. He bit his lip, not knowing what else to do but wait. Hesitating for a moment, he reached down and, pulling his glove off, he held her hand in his. For the first time ever, he noticed how small her hands were, pale and delicate unlike his own. Their skin looked strange together, a mixture of green and grey. Despite the horrendous nature of the situation, he felt himself smile at their entangled fingers and a warm feeling started to rise in his chest.

Suddenly, the medbay doors flew open and Starfire and Cyborg charged in. Cyborg shuddered to a halt when he saw the state the empath was in. Starfire burst into tears. Beast Boy looked at them weakly.

"She's breathing, and her heart is beating. I wrapped her head because it was bleeding, but I didn't know what else to do," he said, letting go of her hand and stepping back. Tears were in his eyes, as the reality of the situation washed over him. He noticed he had blood over his uniform and hands. Despite this, Starfire flew across and put her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. He placed his arm around her, comfortingly. "What do we do, Cy?"

Cyborg was already attaching various wires, tubes and other gadgets to the Azarathian's body. He shone a torch into her eyes and then looked over at the other two. "Everything we can."

* * *

A little while later, the doors flew open again and Robin entered the room. The scene in front of him made him feel physically sick. The team appeared broken. He looked over at the empath and was filled with concern.

"Cinderblock is safely in jail," he said, quietly as he joined the group. He realised it didn't mean much in light of the current situation. "Cy, what's going on?"

"It's not the best news," he said, softly. "She's alive but she's in some kind of coma. She's not responsive. The wound on her head is bound and is already starting to heal. I think it must be her powers taking over, but she's not in control of them directly. We've tried a few things to wake her up, but I think it's just a matter of waitin'. I'm at the end of my abilities here. We need to get a specialist in to see her, I think."

Robin nodded, solemnly. "I know who I need to call," he replied, numbly. "I'll be back soon."

He walked over to the empath's bedside and touched her forehead lightly. She didn't stir. He looked over at Beast Boy and Starfire, who were huddled together sniffling. He gave Starfire a kind smile and nodded at the changeling. He wandered out of the medbay and picked up his phone.

"Hi, Bruce. It's me."


	9. Chapter 9 - Sickness and Sadness

**Author's note:** **A new chapter for you loyal readers. I know I say it each time but thank you so much for your kind encouragement. Although there haven't been many reviews on the last chapter, the story followers and sneaky reading continues and gives me the push to keep going. This chapter features more story progression and a little Starfire screen time. In case you didn't realise…I love the Starfire-Raven friendship, you'll notice it features a lot in most of my stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Things will get more interesting as we keep going down the rabbit hole :) Please do take a moment to drop me a review if you can - a few lines means a lot, as does your continued support.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or Batman. I do own the character of the doctor, so please do not steal her.**

* * *

 **Chapter nine – Sickness and Sadness**

One call to Bruce Wayne did the trick. There was a top specialist in brain and neurological injury there within hours. Her name was Dr Fernandes, a top neurosurgeon and a consummate professional. Dressed in a white coat, with dark rimmed glasses and hair piled on her head in a rather messy bun, she looked quite casual for her high status. She arrived in the tower without even batting an eye at the strange figures with which she came face to face.

"Where's the patient then?" she asked caringly, as they welcomed her into their home. She smiled kindly at the four Titans who looked at her nervously as she entered the medical bay. Dr Fernandes' eyes landed on Raven and she furrowed her brow, approaching the bed slowly. She started to examine her, and the other Titans stood back out of the way.

"Well," said the doctor, after some time had passed. She straightened up and snapped her bag shut briskly. "Mr. Cyborg, based on the paperwork you sent me, your predictions were correct. Your friend is in a coma from a brain injury. A normal human would have probably died on impact, but your friend here is strong. Due to her strange metahuman physiology, I'm unsure of the _exact_ ins and outs, but suffice to say that her demon-side probably saved her life."

She turned to look at the team, who were eying her cautiously waiting for the full prognosis. "It's not a bad outlook," continued the neurosurgeon, a bright smile on her face. "But it's impossible for me to know when she will wake up. It could be days, weeks or months."

The team looked visibly deflated, their faces full of sadness at the news. Dr Fernandes walked towards them and placed a hand on Robin's shoulder cheerily. "Hey, the good news is that she is healing herself somehow. That makes the prognosis much more likely to be positive. Head injury comas have the highest rates of people waking up. She's not lost any oxygen at all, so that is really a very good start. Her body is part of what we call the 'autonomic nervous system', which is not affected by coma like states. That means, when she wakes up her body shouldn't have been affected by the coma itself, but she could be confused or even dazed. Her brain could be changed in many ways at first. We won't know until that happens. You're very lucky that your friend Cyborg has all these machines that will assist with things like muscle wastage and keep her in top form. Past that, it's just a case of two things; you all looking after her whilst she's in this state and your friend Raven's drive to fight. It's impossible to say what will wake her up, but if she's got some fight in her she'll get there, I'm sure."

"Rae's got more fight in her than anyone we know," stated Beast Boy defiantly, his eyes shining slightly. The other Titans turned to look at him, slightly surprised. "She's been fighting since the day she was born, I don't see why she would stop now."

Starfire nodded, vehemently. "Friend Beast Boy is right. Raven has been in the wars since she was very small. She is a true warrior. We would all be honoured to be her _k'norfkas_."

"Guardians or I guess carers in this case," translated Robin, seeing Dr Fernandes' bemused expression. "We would be. These two are right, Raven is a true fighter. If anyone is going to come out of this, it's her."

Dr Fernandes nodded and turned to Cyborg slowly, handing him some paperwork. "Are you sure you're okay to provide the care and treatment as per my instructions?"

"Yeah," said Cy, looking over the notes quickly. "All seems within my remit. 'Sides, I can call you if I need to, right?"

"Absolutely," said the doctor, handing him a business card. He placed it safely by the computer screens in the medbay. "Anytime. I'm an old friend of Bruce's and I'd be more than happy to help in any way I can."

She turned back to the other Titans, slowly. Seeing Beast Boy's strained expression, she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, supportively. "It's going to take time. You all need to look after her, and yourselves." She gave him a genuine smile, over her glasses and walked towards the door. "Call me if you need to. Whenever. I can see myself out."

The four Titans stood around Raven's bed, taking in the news that the doctor had given them. Robin was the first to speak, his voice calm and controlled. "Well, the news isn't as bad as it could have been. But it looks like Raven is out of commission, and it could be for some time. Thinking practically, we might need some help in the short term so that we can look after her _and_ look after the city too."

"I'll give Bee a call," stated Cyborg, slowly. "I'm sure Titan's East can spare her for a week or so until we get ourselves sorted out."

Robin nodded his head, slowly. "Good idea, Cy. Thanks. I guess the rest of us can do shifts, take it in turns to look after her. It's late and I can see you're all exhausted, so I'll go first keeping an eye on her. One of you can take over first thing tomorrow. We'll just have to figure this out as we go along."

"We shall do as you say," replied Starfire, her eyes red and sore. She touched Robin on the arm gently. "I shall go to my bed and await to see when I am next needed. Thank you for being the _k'norfka_ , Robin."

She left the room, walking with her feet dragging slightly and her head bowed. Cyborg typed rapidly into the medbay computer and then turned to the other two, his head beading with sweat. He wiped it away with his arm and yawned. He looked exhausted and traumatised all at once but his voice came out calmly. "Computer systems are all okay to be automated overnight. There shouldn't be any issues, but if there are then come and get me, Rob. I'm gonna go plug in for a while, this has drained my systems like you wouldn't believe. Night, y'all."

As the metal man made his way out of the room, equally sluggishly, Beast Boy turned to Robin. "Are you sure about taking the first shift? I'm happy to help…"

Robin looked over at the green young man, and he could see the pain on his face. He sighed and placed his hand on his shoulder, just as the doctor had earlier. "Beast Boy, we all know how much this has affected you. Finding her like that must have been awful. You need to take some rest, you've done as much as you can. It's part of my role to look after you all, and right now I'm ordering you to go and try to sleep. I'll keep close watch, I promise. You have my word."

The changeling reluctantly gave a small nod and sloped off just as the other three had towards his bedroom, leaving Robin alone with the comatose young woman. Robin slowly sat down on a chair that had been pulled up alongside Raven's bed. He held her hand gently, as the others had done earlier and sat there in silence, keeping watch over her as he had promised he would.

* * *

Beast Boy's bedroom door slid open and he walked in, almost in a zombie like state. He kicked his shoes off and sat down on his bed. The bunkbeds were long since gone, instead replaced with a large double bed with a green cover. He had a desk in the corner which had all of his computers and gadgets on, and a TV with a smaller version of the Gamestation. His guitar rested up against a chair in the corner. He looked around his room glumly, knowing that he needed to get some sleep if he could. Slowly, he lay back into the bed and turned off the light. Staring at the ceiling, he felt himself drifting in and out of sleep from sheer exhaustion. The face of Raven as he stepped away from her earlier that day haunted his dreams. Her wide-eyed expression looked at him over and over as he tossed and turned. Eventually, morning light began to pierce his window and he looked out groggily at the sunshine. Sighing, he swung his feet out of the bed and decided he had been there long enough. He needed to see her, to make sure she was still okay.

Leaving his room, the shapeshifter padded down the corridor to the kitchen to get a glass of water. His throat was dry and sore, and he felt dehydrated. As he drank the cool liquid down, he felt a little bit better. Leaning back against the kitchen side, he looked out over the ops room and noticed one of Raven's books on the side. He felt his stomach sink and turned his head away from it as tears pricked his eyes. The door swished open and in walked Starfire, looking similarly unsteady. Her red hair stuck up around her face, showing she had been tossing and turning all night too. Her eyes were still their usual jade colour but had a dull tint to them instead of their usual lightness.

"Good morning, friend," she said sadly, not sounding as though she meant it. "How did you sleep?"

Beast Boy looked at her sorrowfully. "About the same as you, Star."

Starfire's eyes welled up with tears and she leant against the kitchen side next to the young man. She sniffed, and Beast Boy reached out, putting his arm around her supportively. She rested her head on his shoulder and began to cry. Hearing her tears provoked his own, and they both stood there sobbing for some time together.

"Beast Boy," said Starfire, eventually. "What are we going to do?"

"Anything and everything we can, Star. Anything to get her back." replied the changeling, mimicking what had been said the other night. He didn't know what else to suggest. He was feeling as lost as she was. "You know, this is all my fault."

The final phrase was out of his mouth before the young man had realised what he had said. Starfire turned to look at him, as his arm dropped down by his side and he drooped. Her green eyes were full of concern. "Friend, it is not your fault. How could this possibly be your fault? It is the fault of Cinderblock for smashing our friend through several buildings and causing her the injury. It was an accident."

Beast Boy's shoulders were drooping further, and he began to bite his lip with his fang. Starfire reached over to the young man's face and tilted his chin so that he was looking at her.

"This is _not_ your fault," she repeated, firmly. She could see the shapeshifter's eyes welling up again and he turned his head back away from her, wrenching out of her grasp.

"Star, something happened before the fight and we—"

"It does not matter," interrupted Starfire, in a resolute manner. Beast Boy's head shot up to look at her again, upon hearing her definitive tone. "This is _not_ your fault. I know you would never want to hurt Raven, she is your friend. She means as much to you as she does to me. I can see the way in which you were looking at her yesterday in the medical area. As though your heart was broken."

Beast Boy flinched at Starfire's words, and felt his chest burning as colour rose to his cheeks. He swallowed and glanced at the floor as the redhead continued her spiel.

"My heart is broken too," she continued, clutching at her chest in a dramatic manner. "Raven was…is…my best friend. Over the past few years she and I have become so very close. We have shared our thoughts, feelings and even swapped our bodies once a long time ago. I cannot believe she may be gone. I cannot accept it."

The changeling snuffled and shuffled his feet beneath him. "She's not gone, Star. But we've _got_ to get her back. We're going to try everything we can to get our family back together. I know you say it's not my fault but…I feel like I need to _do_ something to get her to wake up."

Starfire nodded, understandingly. She felt the pain of her team mate and friend. "I understand. Shall we go and see how Robin is bearing under the strain? Perhaps we can be of use or offer our assistance there, at least."

Beast Boy nodded, swallowing back his emotions as he placed the empty glass in the sink. "Sure, let's go."

* * *

As the two friends walked into the medbay they noticed that, as promised, Robin had not left his post. He was half asleep in the chair next to the bed, his hand resting over Raven's as it had been the night before. Beast Boy felt his heart breaking again at the sadness of the scene that was in front of him. Their leader looked as though he had been hit by a bus, just as the other two did. The gap that the empath had left amongst them was immeasurable. Beast Boy walked over and placed a hand on the boy wonder's shoulder, gently giving it a shake. "Hey, Rob."

Starfire walked over too, placing her hand on his other shoulder. "Friend, we are here to assist you. How is she?"

"No change," he stated softly, letting the Azarathian's hand go and placing his head in his hands. He sighed deeply. "No movement, not even a twitch all night."

Beast Boy gave Robin's shoulder a squeeze. "Hey dude, you need to get some rest. One of us can take over."

Robin gave a slow nod and massaged his temple, standing up from the chair and stretching slowly. He had a crick in his neck from the odd position he'd been in for most of the night. Beast Boy took a step back and looked at Starfire.

"Hey Star, why don't you get Robin some breakfast and make sure he gets some rest. I'll take over for a while," he stated, surprising even himself with his authoritative tone. Robin seemed too tired to argue.

"Are you sure, friend?" asked Starfire, concerned from their earlier conversation. The shapeshifter met her eyes and an understanding passed between them. This was something he needed to do. He nodded, and she nodded back.

"Come Robin," said the Tamaranean soothingly, wrapping her arm around the boy wonder's shoulders and guiding him away from the room. She looked back at Beast Boy as they left, seeing him sit down on the chair next to Raven. She sighed deeply and then focused on the person beside her who she loved with all her heart. She imagined how horrible it would feel if he was in that medical ward. She shuddered at the thought and pushed it out of her mind.

* * *

Beast Boy looked over at the sleeping figure of Raven, who looked exactly as she had done the previous evening. Her bandages were still in place around her head. He took up Robin's mantle by taking her hand gently. "Hey, Rae. I'm back to see you."

He felt the emotion swelling in his chest again and swallowed it back. He reminded himself that he wanted to be brave and positive for her, just as he had told Starfire in the kitchen. He looked over at the tubes and wires that covered her body, warily. He could hear the machines whizzing and whirring away, with the rhythmical beeping of her heart monitor in the background. He sighed deeply and blinked his eyes at her. She looked so peaceful despite all of this. Each beep was going through him like a razor, but she was unfazed.

"I'm so sorry, Raven," he started, deciding that he needed to tell her how he was feeling. Maybe she could hear him? "I'm so sorry for everything. This is all my fault."

He paused, looking over at her hopefully. He squeezed her hand a little. No movement, no change. He sighed again and closed his eyes tightly.

"Please wake up. Please just wake up and yell at me again. Tell me what an idiot I am, anything. I deserve it," he stated, a few tears leaking out from his eyes. "I'd give anything just to hear you shouting at me again."

No movement, no change. The beeps from the machine were consistent throughout. The changeling opened his eyes and looked at her again. He ran his spare hand through his hair and leant back into the chair. "We're all falling apart here, Rae. We need you. I need you, Rae. Wake up. I need to talk to you, to find out what happened. Why did you look at me like that yesterday? What is going on with you? I need to know. It was like…you were going to kiss me or something!"

He paused, giving a little laugh at how ridiculous that concept sounded to him, before persisting.

"But that can't be right, can it? Most of the time you act like I'm the most annoying person on the planet. But…the way you looked at me yesterday was like…dude, it surprised me. So much that I reacted like an idiot. I stepped away because I was afraid – it was a physical reaction in me that, like, wasn't even a choice, Rae. I'd moved before I even realised what I'd done. I wish I knew what you'd been thinking, what you'd been feeling, what you wanted from me in that moment. I'd have given it to you, gladly. Because I care. I really do care about you, Raven."

He paused, lifting her hand up and resting it against his forehead gently. Taking a deep breath, he let their hands fall back on to the bed. Nothing. His eyes raised and looked over to her, as if seeing her for the first time. The way the morning light was landing on her made her face look beautiful somehow despite the tubes. Her lilac hair framed her delicate features, and the shapeshifter let out a little gasp despite himself, feeling his heart pick up pace. He swallowed hard and then continued. "I'm going to do everything I can to get you back. Don't even _think_ about letting go or giving up on us, okay? You've got through so much, you can get through this."

He looked at her hopefully, having poured his heart out to her. No movement, no change. Just the now familiar beep of the heart monitor and the whirring of the machines. Realising that she was not going to respond, he did the only thing he could think to do. Lighten the mood.

"Alright, be stubborn," he said, teasingly. "If you're going to just lie there and pretend to be in this coma then I'm going to make it worthwhile. I've been saving up loads of jokes just for you, Rae. For the rest of my time here with you, I'll tell you them all. If you want me to stop at any time you can just wake up and tell me, okay?"

No movement, no change. He felt slightly downtrodden, but he wasn't going to be beaten. If nothing else, the shapeshifter was reputably persistent – especially when it came to the empath. He took a deep breath and looked over at her, still clutching her pale hand in his.

"Okay, so this horse walks into a bar…"

* * *

Several hours passed, and Starfire had managed to coax Robin to eat half a bowl of cereal before going with him to his room and ensuring he lay down on his bed. He hardly seemed to notice Starfire's presence, in a world of his own. The Tameranean wasn't angry. She felt much the same, as if her whole body was on autopilot. She stood by his bedside, watching the young man's breathing start to change and become more rhythmic. He had finally drifted off into a troubled sleep. Starfire gently leaned over and brushed the long, dark hair away from his face. The mask was still firmly in place and she didn't dare touch it. Sighing, she retracted her hand. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but this wasn't the right time. There was only one thing on the young woman's mind and that was seeing her friend. She gave the boy wonder a small, sad smile and wandered back towards the door. She paused, glancing back at him briefly before sliding the door gently shut behind her with a whizz.

Taking a deep breath, Starfire meandered her way back down the corridors on foot. Her emotions were too fraught for her to think of attempting to fly right now. She knew that her bright, shiny personality was as dull as her listless eyes today. But she didn't care. She just wanted to know that her best friend was going to be okay, and right now she couldn't be sure of that. Feeling the tears prick her eyes again at this realisation, Star sighed loudly and rounded the corner to the medbay.

The door opened, and she saw the shapeshifter, sitting in the place that Robin had been several hours before. He was holding the Azarathian's hand and mumbling to her in a low voice. Starfire couldn't quite make out what he was saying but she cleared her throat politely to let him know she was there. Beast Boy's ear twitched slightly.

"Hey, Star," he said, without even turning around. He must have been tired, normally those ears would have picked up her footsteps before she had entered the room. The princess slowly wandered over to where her friend was and looked over the bed at Raven's sleeping form.

"How is our friend faring?" she asked, quietly. She already was quite certain of what the answer would be. The changeling shook his head.

"Like Robin said, nothing," he replied, weakly. He turned to look at Starfire before giving her a dopey smile. "I tried all my best jokes and everything."

Starfire gave a small, appreciative laugh. She was fully aware of what the young man was trying to with his humour – protect himself. But she was grateful that he was trying to lighten the mood at this dark time in their lives. She touched his shoulder, softly.

"It is time," she stated, with some firmness in her voice. She could tell that Beast Boy didn't want to leave Raven's side. "You must go and rest, I shall take my shift as _k'norfka_ for today."

Beast Boy gave a sigh and reluctantly let go of Raven's hand. He stood up from the chair and morphed into a cat before stretching in several different ways. He shifted back to his human form and looked at Star sadly. "I tried my best."

"I know you did, my friend," she replied, smiling at him as best she could. "I am sure that in some way Raven knows that you were here for her. Now rest. Please."

Beast Boy nodded at Starfire's sage words. He placed a hand on her shoulder and returned her smile. After a moment, he turned slowly and wandered out towards the door as Star sat down next to the empath. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the shapeshifter stopped in the doorway to look back before he exited the room. But he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were resting on Raven, exactly as she had looked at Robin earlier. Starfire's eyebrows raised slightly but she gave no acknowledgement of his actions. She heard the doors swish closed and knew he had left.

She turned her attention over towards the Azarathian, taking her small pale hand in her larger orange one. "Hello, friend Raven. It is I, Starfire. I have come to look after you, my little _bumgorf_."

She gave the little hand a firm squeeze and then rested her other elbow on the bed and her chin nestled into her hand. "I have been thinking last night, that you always give me such the best advice. Since my time here on Earth, you have listened to me talk about my…feelings…on so many occasions. Yet, I have never heard you talk to me about anything which may be troubling you. I have never been able to return the advice which you so freely bestow upon me, my friend."

Starfire paused and drew breath, her eyes looking up to the ceiling as she let her thoughts flow out of her and into the room. "You see, friend, I think I am aware what the problem is. You are so kind to all of us. You are an 'empath', as you say. You sense the feelings of us all. Yet, you are so uncertain and dare I say…afraid…of your own feelings that you do not express them or share them with anyone on our team. Not even me."

She looked back down at Raven, giving her a small smile. Her eyes shone slightly. "I am not offended because I know that this is you. This is who you are. I know why you are afraid of your feelings – when I was you, I realised how difficult it must be and how much braveness you show every single day. But friend, since we defeated Trigon things have been much different. Your powers are more controlled, your emotions more steady. But you have not changed. You are still closed away, and I do not think that this is because of your feelings. Or maybe it is more about the feelings than we realise?"

She was still looking at the empath, but her eyes had changed. They were softer, more concerned. "You give me the advice, but when will you take it yourself friend? You do not know how to be outside of the hero role. You are so serious at all times. But this is not really you. I know, because I have been you. You are more…" Starfire paused, trying to find the right word. It came to her. "…complicated than you would care for anyone to know."

She lowered her voice to a whisper, as if they were sharing a great secret. "I know you, Raven. You say that you know me, that you know my mind and I know yours too. Over time I have become…what is the word…'attuned' to your way of being. So, I am aware of some of your feelings. Perhaps even those you believe to be hidden. Of how you are feeling about… _him_."

Starfire glanced behind herself, concerned she might be overheard. She relaxed when she realised that she and the Azarathian were truly alone, save for the beeps and whirrs of the machines. "I see the way you are looking at him when you think no one is watching you. The way you make glances over your books. The way you are always teasing him. Always seeking to be around him. It is like you are the magnets, opposite but drawn together. I am more attentive than you realise, friend. So, I know that your feelings for him are real and true."

Starfire sighed faintly, loosening her grip on Raven's hand slightly. "I am aware that you will most likely not tell him the feelings you have. I am also aware how angry you would be if you knew that I was saying all of this to you now! But, as I can say it and I feel it then I shall. Friend, I think that if you were to follow your own advice you would realise how wondrous these feelings can be. You will realise that _you_ are too deserving of the happiness, despite the unfortunate things you have been through with…he who shall not be named!"

Her eyes glowed green momentarily thinking about Malchior, but she regained herself and tightened her grip again. "There is more, friend. I also see the way in which he looks at you. He is heartbroken that you are no longer with us. He is stealing the glances at you, just as you were to him. If you could only both be honest about this, then I feel he would too be overjoyed. Then, you would both truly find the happiness you described to me yesterday."

There was nothing, no movement or sound. Just as the boys had told her. She could understand their frustration, wondering if they had also poured their hearts out to the girl in hope of a response. She bit her lip slightly, wondering if Raven really could hear her.

"Friend, if you can hear this then I want you to know one thing. All I have told you is true. I believe what I am saying to be true. I know you don't like 'the mushy' stuff, but the most important thing is this. It doesn't matter to me, whatever you decide. I am your friend, and I will always be here for you. I just want you to be happy. More than that I just want you to come back to us."

No movement. Starfire gave up. She rested her head down on the bed next to Raven's arm defeated, and felt a few tears leak out. Perhaps she would try silence for a while. Her eyes blinked closed as she realised how truly tired she was. For a brief moment she thought she felt Raven's hand flicker in her own. Her eyes opened, and she stared at their hands for a few moments. Nothing. Deciding it must have been a trick of her tired mind she took a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

"I am here if you need me, _bumgorf,_ " she whispered quietly, her tones low. The machines beeped a response to her, as the Tameranean drifted into a light sleep still holding the empath's hand tightly.


	10. Chapter 10 - Metal and Metahuman

**Author's note:** **Hello to you all, I'm back again with another dose of the story. I hope you're all enjoying it as the reviews seemed to have dried up! I'm trying not to be dejected as I know you are adding it to your favourites and I can see you all reading. I'm also aware that people may be busy at this time of year. But you're still here. For that I'm very grateful. Thank you all. This chapter focuses on the BB-Cy friendship, another of my favourites. All information about comas is based on real research I have done, so I've tried to make it as realistic as possible. I just love all of the Titans! Writing about them again feels like coming home to a group of good friends. A couple more chapters and we will be back to the present day. It's getting exciting! On with the fic!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans, but I do own the Doc so please don't steal her. I do not own any of the songs whose lyrics listed here (too many to mention) but please don't sue me.**

* * *

 **Chapter ten – Metal and Metahuman**

Beast Boy had headed back to his room but fidgeted around unsure what to do. The thoughts from his 'conversation' with Raven were floating around his mind and beginning to drive him crazy. He bit his lip and looked out of the window at the city. He knew that there was only one person he could trust with this.

Padding back down the corridor the young man knew where he would find him. Whenever Cyborg was stressed there was always one place that he would be. The garage. He pushed the button and the door whizzed open revealing the bright lights within. The changeling wrinkled his nose up; motor oil and grease. The scent was so comforting to him in a strange way after all these years around the metal man. He gave a small smile as he saw two familiar feet poking out from under the T-car. As he thought – Cy was anxious. He took a few tentative paces into his friend's domain, knowing that in some strange sense he was trespassing uninvited.

"How is she?" came the voice from underneath the vehicle. It made Beast Boy jump slightly. Had Cy's hearing really become _that_ sensitive? He stood still in his tracks.

"How did you-?"

"Installed some software that recognises footsteps," came the simple reply, muffled by the metal about Cyborg's head. "Can't let you get away with being the only one to have perceptive hearing these days."

Beast Boy let out a small chuckle at the metal man's attempts at humour. "Fair enough, dude."

"So," started Cy again, rolling himself out from the car. He looked tired as he pushed himself to his feet. "How is she?"

"Same as before," replied Beast Boy, giving a little shrug and leaning against the workbench. Cyborg reached across and picked up a rag, wiping the excess oil and muck off his hands. He was staring at the floor hard, and the changeling thought it looked as though he was trying not to cry. He waited in silence until his friend had time to process his thoughts.

"I figured as much, but man it is like a sledgehammer anyways," Cy said finally, throwing the rag back down onto the bench with some frustration. "Damn it, Raven."

"I know," repeated the shapeshifter quietly. "I can't believe this is happening."

"You and me both, B," responded Cyborg, gently. His eyes softened a little as he noticed his friend droop. "It's gonna be okay, man."

"Is it though?" asked Beast Boy, sadness in his eyes. "How can you be sure?"

"Well…" Cyborg hesitated. He turned slightly to grab a stool that was tucked underneath the bench and sat himself down on it. "…I guess I can't be. But I know that I'm not going to give up on our Rae. She deserves that from us. The girl has been fightin' her whole damn life. I don't doubt for a second that she'll be fightin' right now to get back to us. We have to remember that, to respect it."

"I know," conceded the changeling, quietly. "I'm just so scared, dude."

"So am I," admitted the metal man, a heavy tone to his voice. "We all are. I wish I could give you the answers. Hell, I wish that I could just give _myself_ the answers. But I can't. All I can tell you is that I'm not about to give up on her, and I don't think you should either."

The shapeshifter looked over at Cyborg, tears in his eyes but managed a small smile nonetheless. "Never could, never will. You know that, dude."

"I do," Cyborg stated, returning the smile with a wise look behind his dark eyes. Beast Boy hitched himself up onto the workbench and shifted uncomfortably. He sighed deeply, which elicited the cybernetic man to tilt his head and narrow his eyes. "Everything okay, man?"

"Cy, you're my best friend. You know that I trust you. I want to tell you something but before I do, there's something I've got to know. If I were to tell you anything, no matter how bad, would you promise not to judge me?"

The metal man reeled for a moment at the question which had hit him out of the blue. He considered his answer for a few moments. "Man, you're the best friend I ever had – you know that. I will always value you as my friend and try to support you in whatever you're going through, even if I don't particularly like or agree with what you've done. I'll always try to understand you, and I'll definitely help you if I can."

The shapeshifter's eyes looked at him warily, but the answer felt satisfactory. He nodded slowly at Cy's answer and took a deep breath. "I need to tell someone what's happened. I need to get it out of my head – I'm not Raven, I have to talk about these things otherwise I feel like I might go crazy, dude. I mean…I'm rubbish at keeping secrets at the best of times, you know that."

The cybernetic man gave him a knowing glance and raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, I won't be telling you about any surprise parties any time soon."

Beast Boy gave a small, appreciative chuckle but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. His brow furrowed slightly as he rubbed his temples with his hands and began to open up. "Did you notice yesterday after our day out that Rae kind of went…a bit weird? Like into a weird mood?"

"Yeah, but this is _Raven_!" exclaimed Cyborg, emphatically. "That's just what she's like, man. She has these weird moods sometimes and you just gotta accept it."

"I know that," responded the changeling, keeping his voice calm. His eyes were trained on the floor, unblinking. "But this was something different from her normal mood swings. I know because…I may have…overheard…a conversation between Raven and Star when we were all outside."

Cyborg couldn't help but let out a chortle in shock. "Seriously, B? 'May have overheard'? By which you mean you were eavesdroppin' on their private conversation?! It's no wonder that Raven wants to kick your backside most days of the week."

Beast Boy flashed crimson and looked up indignantly. "Hey! They were talking right next to me outside, it wasn't like I was snooping by the doors of their bedrooms! Anyway, I can't help it, these ears just pick everything up…"

"Yeah, yeah," teased Cyborg, trying to keep the mood light. He waved his hand at the boy. "You eavesdropped on their private conversation, frame it how you want. Anyway, skip to the interesting bit - what were they saying?"

"Nice job of keeping your morals intact there, dude," smiled Beast Boy, eyes glinting evilly. "Like _you_ wouldn't listen in if you could."

"Shut up," stated Cy, giving his best friend a faux angry look. The changeling gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Raven was giving Starfire relationship advice," he stated simply. The cybernetic man's eyebrows nearly rolled back into his head.

"Hold up, hold up. Raven was giving _Starfire_ relationship advice?" he queried, sceptically. The amusement was evident on his lips. "Are you kiddin' me?"

"Well, I thought that at first too. But then the more I thought about it the more I realised that actually her advice was pretty good. She's a lot better at that than we give her credit for. After all, she is an empath and went through it all with Malchoir," explained BB, trying to be fair to the Azarathian. "She told Star that she thought that everyone deserved to be happy. But after that conversation, she went into this weird mood."

Cy was listening quietly, nodding along with what the young man was saying. He appeared curious as to where this conversation would lead. He didn't offer any intervention, so Beast Boy took another deep breath and continued.

"So, anyway, I tried my best to not get involved but she looked _so_ sad and I felt bad about it. When she decided to go to her room, I thought that the right thing to do as her friend was to go and check that she was okay. So…I did. I told her the truth, that I'd overheard their conversation and wanted to see how she was. I was worried about her and I wanted to let her know that her friends cared about her."

"I'm gonna be honest, man," interrupted the metal man, shaking his head in confusion. "So far, I'm struggling to see what you did wrong. To me it seems like a really decent thing to do for our little Raven."

"Well, that's the thing, Cy," replied Beast Boy, with a sad tone to his voice. "I _thought_ that I was doing the right thing too. We talked a little bit and she told me that the conversation with Star had brought up some stuff from the past for her. I said that I understood, and then decided to try and lighten the mood by asking her about the book that she was reading. She gave me a hard time about not reading, so I teased her a little bit by taking the book—"

"Okay, I retract my earlier statement," stated Cyborg, shaking his head and rubbing his hand over his head. "Like I said. You ask for it, man."

"She was fine about it, she knew I was messing around!" exclaimed the changeling defensively, folding his arms. He tactfully omitted the part where Raven's powers threatened him into submission. "Anyway, it relaxed things a little so I decided just to press her a little further on the Malchior stuff to see if she was okay. I gave her the book back and I just asked her if she believed the stuff that she'd said to Star."

Cy cocked his head to one side and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's an interesting question. Did she bite?"

"Well…yeah. Kind of. She didn't get mad with me. She didn't really say anything. She just looked _really_ sad for a while. I was thinking of something to say to her to like comfort her, you know? But before I could say anything, she looked at me. Like really looked at me. It was the strangest look I've ever seen Rae give to me – and believe me I've been on the receiving end of a _lot_ of looks from her."

"True," intervened Cy, quickly.

"But, dude. Hear me out when I say…this was _different_. She looked at me the way that Robin looks at Starfire after she's been hurt in battle. I can't even describe it, but it hit me. It was there," the changeling signalled to his chest, indicating it had thumped him in the heart. "Then it got weirder. She reached out towards me and grabbed hold of my arm. Like she wanted to pull me in for a hug or something? I don't know, but it was weird, like she was possessed by something almost. She just kept staring at me with that weird look on her face."

Cyborg gave a little snort and raised his eyebrow. "It kinda sounds like she was going to kiss you or something."

The changeling felt himself blush right to the tips of his elven ears at the suggestion. Cy's face changed from amusement to shock. "Oh my God, B. Did she kiss you?"

"No!" exclaimed the changeling, abruptly. He felt strange all of a sudden. Cy had picked up on the same thing he had without a prompt, and the confirmation both excited and frightened him at the same time. All the hairs on his neck were standing on end. "Nothing happened."

"Well something _must_ have happened, else we wouldn't be havin' this conversation," responded the cybernetic man, knowingly. He could sense the strangeness of his friend's reaction. "What did you do?"

"I…stepped back," responded Beast Boy, uncertainly. Cyborg's response was exactly as he expected it would be.

"You stepped back?!" he responded, incredulously. He put his head in his hands. "Oh man."

"Look, I panicked, okay? Rae does _not_ do physical contact, least of all with me. I thought she was going to hit me or something, it was a natural reaction to flinch away from her. I didn't even think about it, the whole thing just completely caught me off guard. You know I did the same thing right after the Malchior mess. It just freaks me out somehow."

"I can understand that," replied Cyborg, kindly. "You're right, and I probably would've done the same thing. She is a mystery, that girl. I love her like my sister, man. But she is a mystery."

Beast Boy nodded in agreement and kicked his feet back and forth nervously. He swallowed. "The alarm went off before I had chance to explain myself or anything. She looked at me like I'd slapped her, she wouldn't speak to me. She didn't deserve that, not after what's happened in the past. It was like a rejection for her, I guess…but you _gotta_ believe me, Cy, I didn't mean it to be that way. It's just…I can't let it…let her…ugh, it's so complicated. Either way, I'm _sure_ that's why she was distracted in the fight, and that's why she got hurt. It's all my fault, isn't it? Give it to me straight, dude."

"Whoa, whoa," replied Cy, putting his hand up to slow the young man down a moment. "Calm it down, man. That's a lot of information to take in all at once. Breathe, little buddy. First things first. You can't blame yourself for what happened with Cinderblock."

The changeling felt a sense of relief wash over him. More so than earlier with Starfire. Cyborg knew the whole story and yet he still believed that Beast Boy wasn't to blame. It gave him some comfort to know that his friend understood. He swallowed. "You really believe that?"

Cyborg nodded, vehemently. "If Raven was distracted in the fight then that was unfortunate. But there is no way you could have predicted what was going to happen, man. You couldn't have known the mess we'd be in down there. You couldn't have known she wouldn't give you chance to explain and sort it out. You couldn't have known that she'd end up like this. I know if you could have stopped it, you would have. That's enough for me."

Beast Boy felt tears prick his eyes at his friend's passionate defence of him. He blinked a few times to clear the blurry vision. "Thanks, dude. Whilst I appreciate your support, I'm still stuck. What do I do with all of this, Cy? I just keep replaying it all in my mind, it's driving me nuts."

Cyborg took a deep breath and rubbed his head, deep in thought. Eventually he spoke. "Well…what do you _want_ to do about it?"

"I…don't know," replied the changeling slowly, running his hand across the back of his head. "I guess I was hoping _you_ would help me with that."

"Man, I ain't about to tell you what to do," responded Cy, a slight amusement on his face. It changed to a more serious expression quickly. "B, I've got to ask you something right now. Do you have feelings for Raven?"

"Oh, don't ask me that, dude!" squeaked the shapeshifter, burying his head in his hands. "Please don't make me answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because! It's _embarrassing_ and _weird_!"

"Beast Boy," said Cyborg, using the changeling's full name for emphasis. "We're adults now, man. We're not kids anymore, this is serious stuff. I'm not asking if you're crushing on her – like we're at some sleep over as part of a 'truth or dare' game. I'm asking you as an adult, if you have feelings for Raven, or not."

Beast Boy lowered his hands down from his face slowly as the metal man's words sank in. He bit his lip with his fang and thought for a moment before answering. "Yes…no…I don't know. It's hopeless."

"B, listen to me," responded Cy, standing up from the stool and placing his hand on the young man's shaking shoulder, supportively. "I'm gonna say this really calmly. First off, you know I don't judge you for what you did. Raven's behaviour was unusual, and your response is maybe conditioned from our previous interactions with her. She goes to grab you, you run the other way. But what I'm askin' you to consider here is the fact that she may well have feelings for you. If she does, you owe it to her to consider whether you have feelings for her or not. You can't run away from this man, you gotta let her know either way. It doesn't matter what you decide as long as your honest about it."

"I know what you're saying, Cy," responded the shapeshifter quietly, his eyes averted from his friend. "But I just don't know. I don't _know_ what I think."

"You hesitated like this before when you were telling me about what happened yesterday. It's because of Terra, isn't it?"

The changeling's head shot up at the mention of her name, noticing an uncomfortable hot feeling creep over him. "What do you mean?"

"Look, B, you and Raven have got one thing in common. I'm sorry to say it because I love you both to death, but you're both 'damaged goods'. You've been in a place of letting yourselves be vulnerable and then you've been hurt. It's kinda understandable that the idea of letting yourself be that way again is going to scare you. Is that what's going on here? Are you scared of gettin' hurt again?"

The shapeshifter eyed his friend warily, his emerald eyes starting to prick with tears again. He sniffed and nodded slowly at the recognition that his friend had hit the nail on the head. Cy squeezed his shoulder understandingly and softened his gaze.

"I want you to forget the past for a moment. That's what's been and gone. I want you to think about the here and now. Think about Raven. Only Raven. Then tell me, do you have feelings for her?"

Beast Boy closed his eyes for a moment, considering his friend's words. He visualised the empath in his mind's eye. Her long lilac hair, blowing in the wind. Her small pale hand, the way it intertwined with his in the medbay. Her large violet eyes, that were filled with so many emotions yet none of them escaped very often. Her scent, that he knew so well. Her beautiful, shapely figure that she so often kept hidden away from the world. Her kind, gentle voice and caring heart. Her bravery, even in the worst of times. The rarer things that he strived for every single day. Her smile. Her laugh. The darker things. Her lying unconscious under the rubble. The blood. The bandages. His fear. The thought of not seeing her again. He felt a shot of pain hitting him like a knife to the heart. Oh my God. Cy was right.

He opened his eyes and looked over at Cyborg, feeling a bit shaky. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was lightheaded. He nodded at his friend, a little confused by the realisation that he had finally made. He had feelings for her. Deep feelings that he had somehow kept buried under the grief of his past, under the fear of letting someone close again. It was like they had escaped his unconscious and smacked him in the face and it was overwhelming. Cyborg gave a small smile and then let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank _God!_ Cos I've thought that you have for ages."

The changeling's expression changed instantly. Fury lit his eyes. "You _what_? How could you possibly have known?! I didn't even know until two seconds ago!"

"Come on, man," laughed Cyborg, ruffling his friend's hair. "We live together, it's difficult for me to miss all the signs. The way that you two are always trying to get each other's attention. The way you look at each other. The way you _talk_ about each other. The fact that you are so attuned to how she's feeling, so attentive to her. The fact that she's exactly the same with you. We've all talked about it."

Beast Boy felt his face reddening. "You _all_ knew about this? Before me?! Is that even possible?"

The cybernetic man shrugged and sat back down on his stool. "Yeah! It's pretty obvious - you wear your heart on your sleeve, B. It's one of the many things I like about you, buddy."

Beast Boy gave a small smile, despite himself and felt his anger dissipating. He blew his fringe up and closed his eyes, trying to find some semblance of calm so he could gather his thoughts. Eventually his eyes flickered open, full of curiosity. "Well. What do you think?"

"Truthfully? I think y'all are adorable. I know that speakin' for myself I didn't wanna interfere or get in the way, despite that. But…we all just want you guys to be happy. We knew where you both were concerned, matters of the heart aren't exactly straight forward. Whatever you guys decide to do, I just want you to know that we'll always be your friends and be there for you. Both of you."

BB gave a genuine smile. He knew that talking to Cy was a good idea. "Well, this wasn't the way I expected this conversation to go. But thanks."

Cyborg let out a laugh, reaching over and clapping his friend on the back. "You're welcome, man."

As the feelings he had for Raven started to settle in his mind, the changeling was suddenly hit with the realisation of the situation they were in. "So, what do I do with this? Raven's in a coma. It's not like I can go down and talk to her, tell her what I want to right now. What are we going to do?"

"We gotta figure out a way to wake her up," replied Cyborg. "Maybe there are things we can do to bring her round. I'll give the Doc a call, and maybe you can check about online to see what other people who've been in this condition suggest. I mean, it's unlikely you'll find anything specific to her metahuman physiology but it's worth a try. She is half-human after all."

"Yes! Good idea, Cy!" exclaimed the young man, a tone of happiness and optimism piercing his voice for the first time in the past few hours. "We don't have to just sit around, maybe we can make her come back to us. Do something to help instead of just sitting there watching her sleep."

"It's worth a shot," replied Cyborg, smiling at his friend's new-found sense of purpose. "If anyone can be stubborn in this I know it's you and me, little buddy. Come on. Let's do it."

The changeling jumped down from the bench and gave a thumbs-up to his friend. "I'm on it, dude!" he stated, before turning to scuttle out of the garage and get to work.

"Hey, B," called out Cyborg, quickly. The young man turned at the door and looked back at his best friend inquisitively. "Thanks for trusting me with all of that. It means a lot."

"No problem. Thanks for being there for me, Cy. It means a lot too. I'm glad you're my friend," he replied, eyes shining slightly. With one final goofy grin he turned and disappeared through the garage door. Cyborg smiled and stared after him, a slight sadness on his face. He spoke aloud to no one in particular.

"Come on, little lady. You gotta wake up now. Don't leave him like this."

* * *

Beast Boy's hands flew around the keyboard of the computer in his bedroom. He was sat at his desk in darkness, with the light from the screen shining in his eyes. His expression was full of concentration as he examined the resources he had loaded up. Suddenly they stopped as he landed on something. He read aloud:

"Why does music 'wake' some coma patients up?"

His eyes lit up slightly. _Music_. That was something he could definitely do! He kept reading the article as quickly as he could. Reading had never been his forte, but his eyes darted back and forth eagerly, more so now than ever before in his life. His eyes stopped as he finished the article, and the changeling looked above the screen at the wall pensively. He swallowed and narrowed his eyes, digesting what the article had said. Apparently a 'salient stimulus' could in some cases wake people from comas. Music was one of these stimuli. As human beings process music differently from language, the theory stated that sometimes it could therefore pierce the mind and reach someone, where speaking to them wouldn't have the same effect. He tilted his head to one side and rested his chin on his hand. Of course, that made sense. The article had also suggested that it was helpful if the song was something that the patient would recognise. Beast Boy frowned, scrunching his eyes up. He had no idea if Raven was into any music, and if she was then it was likely their tastes were different, as with most things. The shapeshifter didn't think he could even hazard a guess as to what she might like.

He rubbed his temples and gave a small groan of defeat. Well, if he couldn't pick something he _knew_ she would like, perhaps he could pick something he could guess she _might_ like? If he kept playing it, would it become something she could recognise? Worth a shot. He nodded to himself and printed the article out to show Cy. He knew that this was the best lead he had, and the most likely thing he could manage to do of his own volition. A lot of the articles used such strange, medical language which he had no concept of. It was all beyond him. He hoped that Cyborg and the Doctor would make better progress in that department. So what song would he pick?

Placing the copy of the article to one side he loaded up his music app on his computer and began to shuffle through the different songs he had saved. The changeling had a really eclectic music taste, and as the music player shuffled some strange things came out of the speakers. He clicked through them quickly, searching for inspiration.

" _Hold up, no you didn't bow, bow, I ain't the chick to walk behind you 'round town…"_

"… _fresh futuristig, me I'm a misfit, drink my 5 roses tea with a biscuit…"_

"… _cut loose like an animal, fired out like a cannon ball, but I waited too long…"_

"… _revvin' up your engine, listen to her howlin' roar…"_

"… _do I attract you? Do I repulse you with my queasy smile…"_

"… _here I stand, look around, around, around, but you won't see me…"_

He gave a small chuckle at how ridiculous the mix of sounds was, then continued to click through different tracks for several minutes. Suddenly his elven ears twitched, and he skipped back through a couple of them. His eyes lit up. He gave a smile and let the track play. It was perfect.

"That's it!" he exclaimed to himself, tapping his fingers on the table. He picked his guitar up and started to strum some chords out. Slow at first but gradually gaining more confidence. When he was satisfied he knew what he was doing, he popped it back down and grabbed the article. He needed to find his metal friend and tell him the news.

* * *

"Thanks so much, Doc," said Cyborg into the screen. The face of Dr. Fernandes was staring down at him, smiling gently.

"You're most welcome," she said, pushing her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "I think it's a good idea. All the best to you and your friend. I'll check in with you in a couple of days but if _anything_ changes just get on the line."

Cyborg nodded and gave a small smile of his own. "You got it."

The screen went blank and he scribbled some things down onto a piece of paper. Biting the end of the pen and deep in concentration, he almost didn't hear the eager knocking on his door. He glanced up, rubbing his fingers over his tired eyes and stifling a yawn.

"Come on in," he shouted, putting the pen down and turning around to face the door. The face of the green changeling poked around the corner, and the metal man met his smile. "Hey, B! Good news, I hope?"

"Great news!" exclaimed Beast Boy, handing the article to Cyborg. "Check this out, dude. Music! Why didn't we think of this before?"

Cy's eyes scanned the article and his eyebrows raised slightly. "Hey, some evidence suggests this actually works. No way."

"Yeah," nodded the shapeshifter, licking his lips excitedly. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea, man," smiled the metal man, handing the article back to BB gently. "You got somethin' in mind? I've no idea what music the little lady likes."

"No, me neither," admitted Beast Boy, rubbing the back of his head. He gave an encouraging smile. "But, I had an idea. I picked this song out that I thought she _might_ like and…and…I was going to play it for her. I figured maybe she'd recognise my voice if not the song itself. What do you think?"

"That's my, B!" laughed Cy, ruffling the changeling's hair again affectionately. "Always thinkin' outside of the box. Booyah man!"

The two best friends bumped fists like they were young teenagers again.

"Great, I'm going to give it a try on my next shift," gabbled the changeling, some excitement flushing his cheeks. "I really hope this works. You have any luck, dude?"

"Well, I just got off the phone to our friend Dr F.," said the cybernetic man, nodding slowly. "A few options we can pursue. She says that speaking to her is still a good idea, because there is some evidence to suggest that people can still hear in a coma. Particularly, they recognise people they are close to, familiar voices. She told me that when humans die the auditory faculty has been found to be one of the last senses to go."

"Morbid," muttered the changeling, not wanting to think about that too much. Cy nodded solemnly. "Okay, so we keep talking. What else?"

"You're going to _love_ this," groaned Cyborg, scanning his eyes down the handwritten list. "Jokes."

"NO WAY," shouted the changeling, despite himself. His eyes were wide, and there was a sense of happiness about him all of a sudden. "Seriously?!"

"Yep, some recent research says that jokes can actually 'awaken the brain and speed recovery'," read Cyborg from his notes. He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it man, but we've finally found a use for your dopey jokes. Maybe we can rent you out to a hospital if we get short of cash."

"I know, right—hey! My jokes aren't dopey!" pouted Beast Boy, folding his arms. Cyborg laughed at him and he waggled his tongue at him, defiantly. "I've got the green light (ha ha) for my jokes! Excellent. What else?"

"Touch," stated Cyborg, tapping his pen on the paper list in thought. "Apparently, touch can be a factor. We've all been giving her plenty of attention and hand holding so I guess that's another thing we've done well so far. There's also a list of drugs Dr F. gave me which we can try to give to her that have been found in some clinical trials to be effective. I'd only give her really small doses though - I just wanna be careful because she's only half-human, I wouldn't want to make her sicker. Some of the side effects can be pretty nasty."

Beast Boy gulped. He didn't know much about this kind of thing, but he wanted to trust his best friend's judgement on such matters. He nodded and waited for Cy to exhaust his list.

"The final thing the Doc suggested was really interesting to me. Our bodies have something called 'circadian rhythms', to do with our body clock and temperature regulation in a nutshell. Apparently, new research is suggesting that by using lights to simulate day and night in shifts can actually kick start things and ease the patient into a more aware state. I'd need to monitor her whilst I'm doing it to see if there's any response but there's a chance it could work and encourage her to wake up naturally like she would after a night's sleep."

"Dude," breathed Beast Boy, feeling overwhelmed by all the information. "Okay, so it sounds like we have a plan of some kind? We should go and find Star and Robin and tell them what we've found out. If we can all do it at the same time and keep it going then just _maybe…_ it'll work out. Even if it takes a long time. Maybe we can get her back somehow."

"Hope," stated Cyborg, nodding. "That's all we have right now. Hope and a plan, little buddy."

"Maybe it's all we need," replied the changeling, raising his eyebrows at his friend. He smiled at Cy, and found the grin returned. He clapped his hand onto his friend's shoulder and gave a squeeze. "Let's go find the others."


	11. Chapter 11 - Downs and Ups

**Author's note:** **Thank you again for reading and for some further kind reviews I have received. Prepare for a little BBRae fluffiness (at long last! Well done for waiting eleven chapters, I'm proud of you ;]) Things are moving forward quickly. The next chapter will be back to where we left off. I hope that you enjoy, and please read and review if you feel able to. It keeps me going in more ways than you realise :)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans, Billy Joel's songs or anything else really.**

* * *

 **Chapter eleven – Downs and Ups**

The next few weeks the Titans were all focused on the task at hand. They kept on doing what they needed to do in order to keep the continuity between Raven's visits. Bumblebee came over from Titans East to help them with keeping a lid on what was going on in the city. She took an interest in the empath's recovery, spending several shifts watching over her and talking to her just as the others had. Cyborg seemed to enjoy having her in the tower with them, sneaking glances her way when he thought she wasn't watching.

The green changeling noticed this with much amusement but didn't say anything to Cy. He remembered their earlier conversation about Raven and he didn't have the heart to tease him after the kindness his best friend had shown him. That didn't mean he could control the curl of his lip every time he noticed the cybernetic man making eyes at her. That was exactly the scene unfolding in front of him at the moment. Beast Boy was sitting in ops with some paperwork around him, trying to see if there was anything else he could find out about Raven's condition. He was nibbling the end of his pen and frowning slightly as he scanned the pages and made notes and highlighted sections on them. Cyborg and Bee came in, laughing between themselves at something. Bumblebee went over to the fridge to try and find something to drink and Cy gave one of his signature glances. Beast Boy raised his eyes to the heavens and then continued to concentrate on what he was doing. The metal man made his way over to his friend's position and sat himself down near him carefully. His eyes were still making glances back to the young woman as he spoke.

"Hey, B – how's it all going? Anything new?"

"Nah, man," replied the shapeshifter, dejectedly. "It's all the same stuff we already know. I don't know why I bother so much, it's not like I'm going to find some miracle cure in here."

"You're doing what you think is right," reflected Cyborg, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder kindly. "That's all that matters. Is it your turn to take watch next?"

"Yeah, I've got my stuff ready to go. How was she just now?"

"Well it was Bumblebee's shift with her, but I just popped by to see how they were getting along," replied Cy, a strange look in his eyes. Beast Boy knew it all too well. Biting his tongue, he gave a nod. "She seemed okay but…no change. I know that Bee was trying everything she could to get her to come back round. She even tried teasing her about you."

The changeling's face flushed, and he glared at his friend for a moment. "Cy, did you talk to her about—"

"No, man, of course not!" he replied, placing his hands up defensively. "What we said stays between us. But I _told_ you, everyone noticed except for you."

"So, it seems," responded the young man, with a tight-lipped expression. "Whatever. I'm guessing that it made no difference anyway."

"No," said Cyborg, softly. "Sorry, man. Nothing. I'm still doing the circadian rhythm tests and altering the lighting accordingly. Her body seems to be responding but it's not waking her up like we'd hoped. Yet. It's still pretty early on."

Beast Boy felt disappointed, but he was unsure if it was because of what Cy had said about Bee's topic of conversation or the lack of change in the empath. He sighed. "Well, we _gotta_ keep trying."

Cyborg nodded and sat back on the couch, silently looking forward. He looked in deep thought as Bumblebee approached and sat down next to them both.

"Hey, Beast Boy," she said casually, taking a swig from her juice. "My shift's up. Your turn to go sit with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," growled Garfield, more fiercely than he intended to. Why did he always let the young woman push his buttons like this? It was as though since he'd become aware of his feelings for Raven every mention of it made him super sensitive.

Bee didn't look mildly phased. If anything, she looked amused. "If you say so, green bean."

"Lay off him, Bee," said Cyborg, noticing the rising colour in his friend's face. Beast Boy looked over at his friend gratefully. "I was just sayin' that there's no change as of yet."

Bumblebee's expression softened slightly, and she shook her head sadly. "Sorry guys, nothing. I did everything you told me to when I first came. Touching her hands, talking, even tried telling some funny stories. But no. Nothing."

"Thanks for trying anyway, Bee," sighed Beast Boy, attempting to make up for his earlier frustration. He tidied the paperwork into a pile and then grabbed his guitar from the side. "I'd better get going."

"Keep your chin up, man," stated the cybernetic man, trying to be cheerful. "It'll get there, you'll see. You gotta keep the faith."

Beast Boy gave a small, tired smile and then left the room, doors whizzing shut behind him. Once she was sure he'd left, Bee turned to Cyborg and raised her eyebrow. "He is _way_ too sensitive about that."

"Come on, Bee," replied Cy, with an empathy in his eyes. He tried to be careful at his choice of words so as not to give away his friend's conversation topic. "He's trying to work things out in his own time. It's difficult when you like someone at the best of times. If he does have a crush on her, think what he's going through right now seein' her like that."

Bee looked down at her glass and pondered that for a moment. A flush went over her cheeks and she tilted her head to the side pensively. "I guess so. That's rough."

"So, you _do_ like someone then?" stated Cyborg, giving her a cheeky look. Bumblebee was so shocked that her hair flew upright at the suggestion. She gave him a glare and then laughed.

"Nice try, metal man," she stated, giving him a wink. "You can't break me that easily."

"Damn," said the young man, winking back. "Guess I'll just have to keep tryin' then."

* * *

Beast Boy walked into the empty medbay and took a deep breath. This was always the worst part. Since he'd realised what he was feeling, seeing her this way was even more difficult. He plonked himself down next to her regardless and looked at her face. Bee had been telling the truth, there really was no change. He picked up her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Guess who," he joked, lightly. No response, not even a twitch from her hand. "Out of guesses already? Alright, I'll put you out of your misery. It's me, Garfield."

Beast Boy had taken to using his name with her, in the hope that the strangeness of it might spark some memory in her. So far, no such luck. He reached over and tucked her blankets in, fastidiously.

"Okay," he stated, tucking her hair behind her ears and giving her a small smile. "It's your favourite part of the day. Time for me to sing you your song."

No movement as always, but the young man gathered up his guitar and began to sing to her softly.

" _She can kill with her smile, she can wound with her eyes…_ _she can ruin your faith with her casual lies_ _…_ _and she only reveals what she wants you to see_ _…s_ _he hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me."_

* * *

Weeks turned into months. The Titans persisted with their plans, continuing to talk, sing and give contact to Raven on a daily basis. The villains in Jump City continued to come and go, with the members of the team who weren't looking after the young woman going and battling them back as best as they could. It was hard, but it was working, in a manner of speaking. The young woman had made no real signs of progress, but her status has not worsened. The hope was palpable within the Tower; every comment, thought and feeling was laced with the empath's name. They desperately missed her, her absence like a gaping hole within the team. Bumblebee had eventually had to return to Titan's East, so the past few weeks had proven even more difficult in trying to manage the constant threats alongside the care of the empath. Cyborg had seemed quieter and a little more withdrawn following their new friend going back to the coast.

It was getting colder, and the days were getting darker. Beast Boy thought glumly about their last day together as a team back when the weather was warm, and the sun was shining. He felt a shiver go up his spine. It seemed like years ago, not months. Winter was with him, inside and out. He couldn't find happiness without her and the guilt he carried with him from that day was evident every move he made. He was gathering his things up to go to his shift in the medbay when the familiar alarm sounded, bathing him in red light. He sighed heavily and dragged himself down to ops to see what was happening. The other three Titans were already there, gathered around the screen.

"You're not going to believe this," said Robin, as the changeling entered the room. Beast Boy looked at him inquisitively and raised his eyebrow. "Cinderblock."

The name brought nausea to the shapeshifter's stomach. "I'm coming with you."

"No," stated his leader, firmly. "Absolutely not. You need to stay on track with the plan. Go and maintain your usual routine with Raven, we can take care of it."

"But—"

"No buts," interrupted Robin, sternly. "You'd only be acting out of emotion. It's too dangerous. We can't risk you as well."

"Robin's right," said Cyborg, placing his hand gently on Beast Boy's shoulder. "It's not the right thing, man. We can handle it, I promise. Go spend time with her, it's the most important thing right now to keep her within her routine."

The changeling felt tears pricking the back of his eyes. He was frustrated. He wanted to go down to where Cinderblock was and let the Beast out to play for a little while. To rip off the arms that had done this to Raven. He could feel his animal side starting to run wild inside him. He sighed as he felt a few exasperated tears leak out and run down his face. Starfire flew over to him and placed her arms around him, feeling his pain.

"Friend," she said softly, into his ear. "I will bring justice for Raven. Of this you can be sure. There is no fury like that of a Tameranean. You are the person I most trust to take care of my best friend whilst I am gone. Please?"

Beast Boy pulled back his emotion at his friend's words and wrapped his arms back around Starfire. She'd said the right thing. He knew that it made sense. "Okay, Star. I'll stay."

The princess squeezed tightly then let go, holding him by the hands and smiling at him. "Thank you, friend."

As the changeling looked up he noticed that Robin and Cyborg stood either side of him, an arm on each shoulder. They all knew. They all knew the pain he was in, and yet no one had said a word over the past few months. He knew that they were feeling it too and he looked at them all with tenderness in his heart.

"Be careful, guys," he managed eventually, regaining some of his composure. Giving Star's hands a final squeeze he stepped back and away from them. "Now go kick some ass."

They all nodded at him and made for the door. Robin paused at the doorway, hand on the frame. He looked back at the green shapeshifter with some concern. Beast Boy met his eyes and nodded. Robin nodded back, knowing that there was only one more thing that needed to be said.

"Titans, go!"

* * *

The alarms stopped, and the young man headed down the corridor to the medbay. He could feel the anger still surging within him, his animal side begging to get out. He ignored it. His loyalty was stronger than his anger. He'd made a promise to Starfire, and he wasn't about to break it. She was right, there was no fury like that of a Tameranean and he wasn't about to get on the wrong side of it.

Sighing, he pushed the button and the door whizzed open. There she was, quiet as ever. Tubes and wires all over. That all too familiar beep and whir to keep her company. He managed a weak smile and plonked himself down into his customary position in the chair.

"Hey, Rae," he said, softly. The gloves came off. He held her hand between his own, feeling the warmth that was still within them. He'd always expected them to be cold for some reason, and yet they never were. He felt emotional today, more so than usual. He couldn't put his finger on why, but his emotions were spiking all over the place. Even before the announcement that Cinderblock was on the loose again, he'd felt strange.

He played the song to her deftly – three months of practice meant that he was getting pretty used to the chords and the vocals. He made short work of it and looked over. He was unsurprised now to see no change, but he followed the routine as always. Sitting back down next to her, he would normally start to tell jokes but somehow, he just didn't have the strength. He settled for just talking to her instead.

Raven's face was unmoving as the changeling started to talk to her.

"So, I've been thinking," he said, slowly. "It's been exactly three months since this all happened. I can't believe that's how long you've been gone. It feels like forever. We all miss you so much. But you know that, I tell you that every single time I come here. I've tried to tell you the same things over and over, but it makes no difference. So, like I said. I've been thinking. I wanted to try and talk to you about something different today."

It suddenly dawned on the changeling that his choice of conversation topic may be the reason for his mood, but he pushed the thought to one side, so he didn't lose his train of thought.

"I've worked out what happened that day, Rae. The day that you left. Cy and I talked a couple of months ago, and I knew that there was some unresolved stuff from the past that I needed to look at. So, I've been kinda…writing it all down. I thought it might help me somehow. It did. It helped me to realise that I really _wasn't_ over all that stuff that happened with Terra. I wanted to explain some of it to you today, in the hope that maybe it would clear some things up. If nothing else, you're a better listener than usual at the moment," he quipped, chuckling slightly. He sighed a little before continuing. "So, here it is. The truth. I realised that when you open yourself up to loving someone like that, you also open yourself up to pain. You make yourself vulnerable in order to connect. But…the way it all turned out with her. The betrayal. The sadness. It just made that vulnerability seem…to borrow your favourite word…pointless."

He took a deep breath, feeling his mind taking over his mouth. He let it happen. He wanted it to happen. In some way, it was a relief.

"I think that on some level, I'd promised myself not to let it happen again. Something about the way you made me feel would scare me on a daily basis. I didn't think that I could open that door again, especially to you. I think I ignored it. You were my friend and I didn't want to ruin that. Pushed it away, you know? I want you to know that I always cared about you. Caring about you was safe. But…anything more? No. Not with you or anyone, Rae. Never again. But you know what? That leaves you feeling so alone. So very alone and scared. In some ways that's worse than the vulnerability."

He shook his head at this, raising his spare hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. "I'm not like you, Raven. I'm not as…resilient? I think that's the right word. I'm not as able to be strong in the face of these things. You know me - I'm an animal. With me, it's fight or flight. And when it came to you, it was both. We'd either argue or I'd run from it. You know, I did it that day you hugged me with Malchior. I pushed you away because your affection scared me. I knew that if I allowed myself to feel it then I'd already lost…I'd already let you in. The same thing happened the day that your accident happened, when you touched my arm. That's how I know…how I've come to realise that I wasn't over it. Wasn't over the whole experience."

He brought his hand down from his face and held the young woman's hand tightly again. His eyes gazed at her, full of longing. "But everything changed. It changed the moment I saw you get hurt. In that moment, I realised that I can't live without you. Can't let you go without you knowing how I feel. Without finding out how you feel. I have no idea if we could even make it work, we're both so messed up. But if I want to try for anyone, Rae, then it's you. You mean more to me than just about anyone else in the world. I'd give anything to get you back here, but I know that's not possible. Each day that goes by, it seems further away. But I _won't_ give up on you, Raven. I'll never stop coming here and being with you."

Then Beast Boy noticed something strange. His ears started to twitch slightly. Her heartbeat. Her heartbeat had changed. He heard the monitor pick up the same thing, the beeps becoming slightly closer together. It was minimal…barely noticeable…but it happened. His eyes widened in shock and realisation of what had just taken place. He took a shaky breath and kept talking.

"I want you to know that I think I've got more of a handle on things. I'm getting used to this whole vulnerability thing again. It's not easy. I think about Terra and my heart hurts so badly. I loved her so much. But I can't let that stop me from trying to be happy. To get in the way of what I really feel. I have feelings for you, Rae. Too big to even name right now. But I know that they're there. I can admit them now."

The heartbeat changed again. The pace quickened. His stomach did a flip. She was _responding_. He just knew somehow, she was changing. He could sense it with all of his instincts and somehow in his heart. Inspiration flashed over him. Time for something he hadn't tried. He stood up, his knees feeling weak. He blinked a few times and tried to calm his own heartrate down. He could hear the blood pumping around his ears, his hairs standing on end. He reached over and gave the empath a hug, as gentle yet passionate as he could muster.

Faster. It was getting faster. She could feel him close to her, wherever she was. He leant over to her ear. "This is what I should have done that day, Rae. This is what I should have shown you. How much I care about you. How much _you_ deserve to be happy."

He pulled his head back slightly and saw her face, close to his. He could feel her heart pulsing now, a faint blush on her face. She looked like the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his whole life. Suddenly, memories of Terra seemed a million miles away. This was something else. This was powerful. It was like he was drawn to her, pulled in by her beauty. Something possessed him beyond his control. He bent down and pressed his lips against hers gently. He felt electricity passing between them. Before he knew what happening, he had tangled his one hand in her hair and gently stroked her face with the other. To his surprise, her hand came off the bed and touched him on the face. In fright, he leapt backwards, breaking off the brief kiss. Did that just actually happen? His eyes focused again and saw the girls hand move back down and rest at her side. He blinked in shock and fear at what he had just done. Had he crossed a boundary? He pressed his hands to his lips in shock. But she had…responded. For the first time in three months, Raven had moved. She had moved her arm. For him. He felt a hot sensation spreading all over his chest. Moving back towards her, he could see that her brow was furrowed. He tilted his head and looked at her, wondering what she was thinking.

"Raven?" he spoke, quietly. There was no response, but she was mumbling slightly, moving her head side to side as if she was in some kind of dream. His heart was racing in fear. Why was this happening when the Titans weren't here? Then he saw her arm move again. Up to her lips, just as his had moments ago. Her brow was still furrowed in concentration. It was like watching a film. Beast Boy felt frozen to the spot, unable to move or even breathe too hard.

"Rae," he tried again, a little louder. "Can you hear me?"

No verbal response. It was as if he wasn't there. The heart monitor slowly returned to normal. The hand slowly moved away from lips revealing her face. To his surprise, Raven was smiling. She was lying there _smiling_ at him, eyes still closed. He felt a hot blush raise all over his face. He couldn't believe it. Three months and there it was, the first movement the girl had made. He grappled around urgently trying to find his communicator.

"ROBIN! ROBIN!" he yelled into it, frantically. The boy wonder's face appeared on the screen, a scene of devastation behind him. Cinderblock was lying on the floor literally on fire. Star had kept her word after all. Robin's face was full of concern.

"Beast Boy, what's happening?" he said, pushing his hair away from his mask. "Are you okay?"

"You need to come home, NOW!" shouted the changeling, desperately gesticulating at the screen. "It's Raven…she's moving! I think she's going to wake up! Please come _now!_ I need you guys!"

Robin's face flickered several emotions across it; happiness, fear, concern and hope. Eventually, it settled back into his normal blank expression and he nodded to the screen. "Hang in there. We're on our way."


	12. Chapter 12 - There and Back (again)

**Author's note:** **I'm back again with the shameless BBRae fluffiness in this chapter. Buckle in! Thanks so much for your kind comments, a few replies Sanzojoe – Thanks for your kind words – I'm sorry if I get a bit overeager, following a 10-year hiatus in writing it's been emotional getting back to it. Thanks for your comments, I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far. Victoriagp2222 – Thank you! Yes, apparently so – do a quick search for more info :) Yay Raven awakeness! A little for you here and more coming up ;). Guests who left lovely comments, thank you all. It's all so appreciated and to all reading, my thanks to you all. Can't say that enough.**

 **Fun fact – the title of this chapter** _ **is**_ **an homage to a childhood book I loved, the Hobbit (which of course I do not own either!). Enjoy! R &R if you can and thanks for those who are continuing to read. **

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Teen Titans, Batman or anything at all.**

* * *

 **Chapter twelve – There and Back (again)**

Beast Boy was practically hopping from foot to foot waiting for his friends to return. The doors to the medbay flew open and in burst the other three Titans in a fluster.

"What's goin' on, B?" yelled Cyborg, frantically running over to the computers. "What happened?"

"Uh," started the young changeling, feeling the blush creep up on his face. He decided to give a vague version of accounts for safety. "I…I was talking to her like normal, giving her contact and then all of a sudden she started to move around…nearly scared me half to death!"

Cyborg's narrowed eyes were scanning the screens. "You're not wrong, man. Guys, something's going on in a big way. Her brain waves have changed, her heart beat has escalated, and her vital signs have altered. Something is happening to her."

"What? What is happening, friend Cyborg?" asked the Tameranean, floating in the air with her hands raised to her face. "Is our Raven alright?"

"She's fine but she looks like she's in distress of some kind," said the cybernetic man calmly, typing away on his keyboard. "Biologically she's okay, but psychologically she's having some kind of meltdown. We'd better brace for impact."

Things in the medbay started to rattle on cue. The changeling's eyes widened, and he looked around the room to see black energy beginning to crackle around them. Robin grabbed hold of Starfire's arm as she began to cry and shake. Cyborg gripped his desk with one hand, the other swiping across the medbay screens urgently.

"Cy, what's happening?!" shouted Beast Boy, steading himself and running towards his friend. He gripped Cyborg's shoulder and balanced himself as the room was rocking. It felt like the whole Tower was about to come down. Was he really responsible for this reaction? He gulped, feeling terrified. "Is Raven okay?"

"I think this is it, B," responded the metal man, looking at his friend. He clapped his hand over the shapeshifters and gave a kind of grim smile. "She's waking up."

There were explosions all around them, one after another like a strange set of fireworks going off in the medical area. Bandages, cables and sheets flew around the room. It was like the Titans were in the eye of a storm. Beast Boy closed his eyes and prayed to whatever was out there that she would wake up before she encased them all in rubble.

Suddenly the shaking stopped. Then it happened. There was a scream as the young woman sat bolt upright in the bed.

* * *

 _Present day_

Beast Boy blinked himself back into the room, realising that his memories had drifted him away from what was going on. As Raven was sleeping and healing, the others were all finding things to do to keep themselves busy. She was awake. He couldn't believe it. He'd waited so long for this day and now it was here he really wasn't sure what to think or what to do. He glanced over at the Azarathian and saw that she was still floating in blue light, her long hair hanging down behind her - the only part of her still touching the bed. She looked peaceful enough.

"Well," stated Cyborg loudly, re-entering the room. "I've just got off the phone with the Doc. She's confirmed everything we thought. She'll probably come out to see Raven tomorrow and check her over, but it sounds like the vision and the language issues are part of those 'cognitive deficiencies' she mentioned that might be part of her recovery. Looks like for the time being we just gotta weather it. But Dr F did say that long term everything should return to her, it's just a slow process."

"Just like everything with comas," muttered the changeling under his breath, bitterly. He took a deep breath and looked over to Cyborg. "So, what does the Doc say we should do now?"

"I guess we just have to find a new routine," shrugged the cybernetic man, calmly. "Instead of trying to wake her up, I guess it's just a case of nursing her back to health. The Doc said there might be some…weird stuff that happens with her whilst her mind is healing fully, so I guess we just got to take it all in our stride, you know? With Raven who knows what that might mean."

He walked over to Beast Boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, supportively. It felt to the shapeshifter like people did this a lot lately, but he wasn't complaining. In some way it helped him feel as though they cared. The doors whizzed open again and Starfire came drifting over to the two of them holding a bowl out.

"I have made a pudding of happiness for her to sample when she wakes up!" she exclaimed, proudly. "I am certain it will help her with the recovery, especially as I put something special in for her."

Beast Boy gulped and sniffed the pudding. It smelt lethal. "Is it mustard by any chance, Star?"

"Friend! Have you been sneaking over my shoulder whilst I have been compiling my pudding?" pouted the princess, wagging her finger at him accusingly. "I shall not have you spoil the surprise!"

"I'm sure that _nothing_ could spoil the surprise of one of your puddings," stated Cyborg, with a hint of humour. He and the changeling exchanged a knowing look and smiled.

It went over the Tameranean's head and she beamed gleefully before floating back towards the kitchen. "Excellent, I shall make another in preparation for her enjoyment!" she shouted over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. The young men looked at each other again, amused.

"Well, that ought to kick start _something_ in Rae," laughed Beast Boy, despite himself. He rubbed the back of his head and felt guilty at making fun of his friend's gesture. "At least Star is trying her best to do something nice for her."

"Yeah, that's true," grinned Cy, chuckling to himself. "Just a shame she didn't stick with something safer like one of her Tameranean poems. That would probably have been more up Raven's street and a lot safer on her digestion."

Beast Boy couldn't help allowing a laugh to escape his lips, as Robin wandered over towards the pair, communicator in his hand. "Hey guys, I've just spoken to Bruce. He says that he'll come by and check in with us all soon, see if there's anything we need. How are you both holding up?"

"Yeah, okay," replied the changeling, looking a bit agitated. "Just not sure what to do to help."

"Well," replied the boy wonder, placing his communicator back into his belt and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think the next thing we need to do is think about our plans for the future. Raven's back but she is by no means ready to go back into battle any time soon. That means we still have to try to manage things between us or get some extra help. Thankfully things seem quiet in the city right now, but you never know what's around the corner."

The other two young men nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. Dangerous situations came with the territory, but lately it felt so fraught with the loss of their team mate.

"I could call around the other Titans, see what I can do about gettin' in some support," stated Cyborg, shrugging nonchalantly. Beast Boy gave a sideward glance but didn't say anything. He knew that his friend was angling for another chance to speak to the illustrious Bumblebee. He smiled to himself internally at the transparency of his actions but didn't show anything outwardly. "Get us some cover whilst Rae is out of action."

"Good idea," responded Robin, nodding. "It's always best to be prepared. Maybe we can get some extra muscle in to take the pressure off. These are desperate times after all."

Cyborg nodded dutifully and marched off towards his room to make some calls. Robin turned to Beast Boy and looked at him warily. "You _sure_ you're okay, Beast Boy?"

It was rare for the boy wonder and the shapeshifter to speak together alone. It still caught Garfield off guard at times, although their relationship had vastly improved over the years. There was something about Robin that BB always found cold, and yet he didn't know why. He was fully aware that their leader would take a bullet for any one of them, and the care he had shown them all even in the worst of times was enough proof of his concern for them. He was reliable. Consistent. Stable. Everything they needed him to be. But at the same time, he kept himself distant somehow. Beast Boy had tried so hard to understand it over the years, but it was difficult for him to break through it. He cleared his mind and tried to focus on the question he'd just been asked, as Robin stood expectantly waiting for an answer.

"Well, you know…I'm as okay as I can be…I guess," he tried, uneasily. He wasn't really sure what to say. Robin hadn't exactly told Beast Boy he was aware of the new feelings he was experiencing for Raven, but somehow he knew that Robin was mindful of them. He was a detective after all. It was awkward, uncomfortable and confusing. Garfield didn't know how to navigate it at all. He decided to try a different approach; deflection. "Um…how about you?"

Robin looked genuinely surprised at the young man's retort, and he looked sidelong at Raven, running his hand through his hair slowly. He sighed. "I'm glad she's awake. But I won't lie to you, Beast Boy, I'm concerned at how long this recovery is going to take. Somehow, I didn't expect her to be in such bad shape when she woke up, as stupid as that sounds."

"Not at all, dude," responded the green changeling, shaking his head and folding his arms. "Raven's always been the one we can be sure will know her mind, her words, her senses. Seeing her like this is a shock for everyone. It's even left _me_ speechless and that's not something that happens every day."

Robin's lips curled upwards at his friend's attempts at humour. Beast Boy could always be relied upon to lighten the mood even in the worst of times. "You're right. That's exactly what it is. But we have to work with what's in front of us. She's going to need constant care, even though she's awake. At least until we're fully sure that she's okay to function alone."

An idea floated across Garfield's mind and he bit his lip, unsure whether to suggest it or not. He decided to be bold. "Hey, Robin, you know…I could do the majority of the care, if you want me to. Truth is I can't do the sciency stuff like Cy, I'm not as good at fighting as Starfire and God knows that the team needs a leader right now. Of all of us, I'm the expendable one. I'm useless in most ways, but she woke up in my care and that has to mean _something_ right? Maybe I can do that, at least. Help you all that way."

Robin looked a little surprised at the suggestion and saddened at the changeling's lack of self-worth, but as he digested the changeling's words he realised that they did make some semblance of logical sense. "I understand your sentiments, but you wouldn't be able to do it all the time, Beast Boy. You'd need to take breaks, to sleep, to eat. To live."

"Sure, of course," responded the young man, nodding. "But if you guys know that I'm the…prime person looking after her, then you don't have to worry. You can all just fit in when I need to stop. Anyway, I can normally sleep anywhere so snoozing in the chair won't be too much of a problem for now. It's a cat thing."

He smirked, showing his fang and letting some cat eyes glint out at Robin. The boy wonder laughed at Garfield's feline side and patted him on the back. "You're a strange one, Beast Boy. I never can quite figure you out. But you're making a lot of sense to me right now. We have to have some structure around here. Things have been so out of control, we need to get some kind of normality back. When we go out to fight, Raven would be left vulnerable on her own, but I trust…no, I _know_ that you would protect her. We will all chip in for her recovery in whatever way we can, but if you're happy to watch her then I think that sounds like a reasonable idea, at least in the short term."

Robin paused and looked over to Raven's bed and then back to the changeling. "There are conditions of course."

Beast Boy raised his eyebrow at the masked man and shrugged. "Sure?"

"First and foremost, you come and speak to me right away if you're struggling in any way. Don't even hesitate."

"Fine," responded the changeling, nodding firmly. "That sounds fair."

"Secondly, I want you to report back to me as often as you can about how her condition is progressing, about when she's getting stronger. She'll need extra support to get back fighting again and that's something that I can help her with. We need to get her onto it as soon as she's able, to build her confidence back up."

"Yeah, you are definitely the right guy for that job!" exclaimed the green man, laughing. "Of course, I can do that too."

"Finally, if you notice anything strange or out of the ordinary happening you let me know. Doesn't matter how small or how big. How seemingly insignificant. Even if she asks you not to tell me about it, you still need to. We both know that Raven's powers are…risky. It could be important or meaningful in some way and so have implications to us all. Harsh as it sounds, I can't compromise the safety of the rest of the team in any way. Understand?"

Although his initial response was to become defensive, Beast Boy knew that Robin was right. Raven had ultimately got the power to kill them all if she wanted to, although he truly believed she never would purposefully. As they had been reminded when she was waking up, at times of vulnerability or emotional panic she had a tendency to become unstable. That being said, he was certain he could handle it.

"You have my word," agreed Beast Boy, solemnly. "I wouldn't put any of you at risk, I can promise that."

"Good," responded Robin, his face softening. He smiled kindly at the shapeshifter. "I know this has been rough on you. Just…take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay, I'll try. Thanks…for listening to my idea and agreeing to it. It means a lot," admitted Garfield, sheepishly. Robin gave him a knowing smile but didn't say anything further on the matter, instead simply turning and walking away. He had left the earlier comment open to interpretation, but BB knew that Robin was aware of the reason he'd taken such a vested interest in the empath's recovery. Grateful for his silence, the changeling turned his eyes back towards her.

Raven.

She was his responsibility now, and he needed to protect her. That was his new mission. His purpose. He felt a sense of something searing through him, but he couldn't name it. Walking over to her bed, he stood next to her for a while, looking at the blue glow that was encasing her. It looked gentle, somehow. The rest of the team were now gone, and the room was silent except for the humming and whizzing of the machines. Suddenly, Raven's eyes flickered open slightly. It was as if she had noticed his presence. Garfield knew that meant that her powers must be starting to become stronger again. She gave a tiny smile.

"Hi, Rae," he said, gently. The blue glow vanished as she slowly levitated back towards the sheets. She looked exhausted. The healing was obviously going to be slow and was taking it out of her. "How are you feeling?"

The empath blinked and looked as if she was considering her answer. She put her hand up and shook it from side to side. So-so?

"That good, huh?" joked Beast Boy, lightly. She gave a slightly bigger smile, but there were tears in her eyes. She sniffed. "Can you still not see very well?"

Raven shook her head. As she did one of the tears leaked out and hit the pillow. Beast Boy bit his lip and against his better judgement he reached out for her hand. The sudden contact made her flinch slightly, until she realised what was happening. She squeezed his hand lightly, and he took that to mean that it was okay.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered to her, reassuringly. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. You need anything at all then I'm your guy. Don't be getting any ideas though, this is just until you're better okay? Then you can't boss me around anymore. At least no more than usual."

A tiny laugh. That minor you could have missed it. For Garfield it was like music to his ears and he grinned. "How about speaking? It seems like you can understand me, but are words still a problem for you?"

"S-sometimes," managed Raven, quietly. She gave a small cough. The changeling reached for the water that was by her bedside and handed it to her, so she could take a sip. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," responded the young man, putting the water back and turning back to her. There was so much he wanted to say, yet he was having to hold everything back inside him and it was killing him. But he knew that he couldn't do it. Not yet. Small steps. Patience. "Do you remember what happened? How you ended up here?"

Raven firmly shook her head from side to side, her long lilac hair falling across her face as she did so. Beast Boy reached over and moved it out of her eyes for her, eliciting a light blush over her nose. God, she was so beautiful. She had no idea what she was doing to him in these moments. He swallowed. "Do you want to remember?"

Raven's brow furrowed slightly. She seemed to be considering the proposition. Sighing, she gave his hand another squeeze and nodded slowly.

"You were in a fight with Cinderblock. Do you remember Cinderblock?"

Raven frowned again then shook her head. Beast Boy was slightly surprised at this but tried not to let it show, keeping his tone light. "He's like this huge guy made out of some kind of concrete. He's one of the bad guys whose butts we kick on a regular basis."

"Bad-guys?" managed Raven, sounding confused again. Garfield's heart panged slightly. How could she remember them so well and yet forget the rest of her life? It perplexed him – he felt as though his mind wasn't medical enough, wasn't scientific enough to grasp it.

"Yeah, you know, the bad guys that we fight on the team. The Titans. Here in Jump City."

"Hmm," mumbled Raven, still seeming a little confused. She seemed to remember something, as recognition flickered across her face. "Powers?"

"Yes, that's right, we all have powers. Kind of," added the young man, remembering that they weren't all metahuman per se. "You have powers, and I have powers. Do you remember what mine are?"

She looked over in his direction for the first time, squinting through her blurry eyes at him with concentration. Beast Boy smiled at her. It was almost comical to see her like that, if it hadn't been so sad. Her violet eyes were full of thought. "Animals?"

"That's right, I can shapeshift into animals, like this," he explained, shifting into a tiny kitten with big eyes and giving a little meowl. Raven gasped in surprise then slowly placed her hand down on the kitty's head, stroking gently. Garfield felt her response and was secretly pleased that she was giving him some kind of contact. He morphed back to himself and squeezed her hand again. "See, I knew you couldn't forget the face. No one can forget the face."

"Ears," she tried, a little smile on her face. Beast Boy laughed loudly, amazed at her attempt at a joke. He'd understood it right away.

"That's right Rae, chicks dig the ears," he chortled, so happy that they were having this conversation. He didn't care that she couldn't see him or even speak properly. He was sitting here with her, and his heart couldn't be happier. She reached over towards him suddenly, catching him unaware and throwing his thoughts off. She touched his ears gingerly, and her face started to get some recognition back in it. She almost looked like the normal Raven for a moment. Garfield felt himself blush at her sudden physical touch, but he allowed it and moved his head closer to her hand. "See, I told you. Even _you_ dig the ears."

She had a strange smile on her face at his comment, but she eventually let him go and gave a yawn. "Tired."

"I'm not surprised," responded the changeling, tucking the covers around her. "You want to go to sleep for a while?"

Raven nodded, like a small child. She was so vulnerable and fragile. Suddenly, Robin's words echoed around his head. He was right, Beast Boy was more than just a glorified carer, he needed to be her protector. He could feel his animal instincts swirling within him, as the realisation sank in. He knew that she needed her rest, as much as he wanted to stay and talk to her more. The changeling decided he would stand guard in the room and make sure she had the peace and quiet she needed to recover. Standing up, he began to move away from her as the empath's eyes fluttered shut. As he turned, she grabbed his hand again causing him to gasp slightly.

"Garfield," she said, clearly. It was her customary tone of voice, and for a second Beast Boy thought she was actually going to shout at him. But she didn't. "Stay."

"You want me to stay with you?" he asked her, a little shocked at her sudden boldness.

She nodded, her eyes still shut. He felt his heart starting to beat in his chest, and a strange tightness in his throat. She wanted _him_ to stay with her. His knees nearly buckled as he sat back down onto the chair. The grip she had on his hand stayed firm. Feeling brave for a moment, he reached down and removed his glove, so that their skin was touching, just like he had done that first day. He felt the electricity shoot up his body and let himself be with these strange feelings he was having for her. His eyes landed on her face. She was smiling.

"Don't worry, Rae. I'll be right here," he managed, eventually. He could hear her breathing become rhythmical. She was already drifting back off into a peaceful sleep.

Garfield smiled. It was the perfect moment and he never wanted it to end.


	13. Chapter 13 - Moving and Improving

**Author's note:** **Thanks again everyone for your kind well wishes for the last chapter. This will be my last update before Christmas break (but it's an extra long chapter to make up for it!). I will be working on the next few chapters and will update as soon as I can post the Christmas period. I'm still invested in this story, don't worry! :) For the kind reviewers: SpookyNerd20: Ahh that would be telling ;) but keep reading, I promise you there are many twists and turns. Thanks so much for your kind words. Sanzojoe: Cliffies for life, haha! Sorry to be mean.**

 **This is a heavily Star/Rob chapter, so brace yourselves. I hope you all have a wonderful festive period, whatever you may be doing. On with the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans, Batman or anything really.**

* * *

 **Chapter thirteen – Moving and Improving**

Starfire busied herself around the kitchen, which was now covered in several different coloured bowls. All of them contained different concoctions which she intended to bring to her friend as soon as she could. Flour was dusted lightly all over her face, and her green eyes were sparkling a little as she happily sucked mustard from her fingers.

"Oh, friend Raven will surely enjoy the sourness of this one!" she exclaimed, stirring the pudding with a wooden spoon, blissfully. "Puddings of happiness are so jubilant, I shall never tire of them."

She was so invested in her experimental puddings that she almost didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching her. She turned, her eyes lighting up as she saw the boy wonder approaching her. "Friend! I am in the middle of the creating dishes for Raven. Would you care to sample a taste?"

"Oh, no…not right now, Star," replied Robin, quickly. He smiled at her. "That's kind of you to do that for Raven, I'm sure she'll be very pleased."

Starfire nodded, her face filled with contentment. She carried on stirring her spoon around as she spoke with the young man. "So, what came of your conversation with the others? With Bruce?"

"Bruce is coming by to see us. You know what he's like; he'll just arrive when he's ready. The other two are fine, we were just talking about where we go from here," answered the young man, leaning back against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms. "We need some backup, Star. This situation could go on a lot longer than we first thought."

"I agree," replied the Tameranean, ceasing to stir and placing her bowl on the side gently. "It feels so joyous to see our friend, but her condition is…concerning. I have never seen Raven behave in this way. The screaming, the confusion, the childlike manner…"

"Yeah, exactly," affirmed Robin, running his hand through his hair and sighing. He pressed his finger to his mask, where the bridge of his nose was and closed his eyes. "It's not the best situation, but we _have_ to stay positive. Cyborg is calling the other Titans to see whether we can get some extra cover whilst Raven is recovering."

"A sensible plan," nodded the princess, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. "It would appear we are vulnerable without the added strength of friend Raven, and who knows what may be around the corner, as you earthlings say."

Robin gave a small smile as he acknowledged she was thinking along the same lines as him. He noticed there was flour on her cheek and gently reached up to brush it away for her. Starfire blushed a little, and then gave a smile. "Sorry, I am the messiest chef!"

Robin felt his heart thumping a little louder and tried his best to ignore it. When he was around Star this was always what happened to him. She was the only one that broke his rules around keeping the boundaries clear. Near her it was all blurry, and it made him feel excited and uncomfortable all at once. He cleared his throat slightly and moved his hand away from her. "No problem, Star. Hey, something else happened too that I think might be important."

"Oh yes?" queried the redhead, cocking her head to the side cutely. Robin felt a blush creep over his own face for some reason and willed it back. "What occurred, friend?"

"Well…Beast Boy offered to be Raven's primary carer, uhm, _k'norfka_. He said that he thought that he was the most 'expendable' among us, that he was the one who was most likely to not be needed. He said it was his way of feeling he could help give us some stability, so we wouldn't have to scramble around each time a fight comes along. So that we can plan, be more careful, be more organised again. I must admit it does make sense strategically speaking, but..." Robin came to a halt in his words and paused to bite his lip slightly. He looked up towards Starfire's inquisitive face that was waiting for him to finish his sentence. "It seemed like _more_ than that for him. Like some kind of duty. Or penance."

"Penance?" repeated Starfire, curiously. "I am not sure I fully understand."

"Penance means a punishment that you inflict on yourself," explained Robin, carefully. He rubbed his temple with his right hand, his left one still propping him onto the side. "Like he feels guilty and is trying to make up for it somehow. Like he's taking Raven's accident as being his fault."

Starfire gave a small noise at the boy wonder's turn of phrase and he looked towards her again, narrowing his eyes. She didn't offer any further comment. Robin pressed her gently. "Star?"

"Yes?" responded the Tameranean averting her eyes from his gaze, trying to maintain an innocent air. Robin could always tell when she was lying to him. He touched her arm gently, and her eyes drew back to his. "Robin, I…"

"You can talk to me, Star. You can tell me anything."

Starfire bit her lip and looked at the ground, weighing up her options. She didn't have many she knew, and so sheepishly looked back at the young man's enquiring stare. "Friend Beast Boy…he said this phrase to me a few months ago. When Raven was first in the accident. I reassured him that this was not the case, that the fault lay with the villain Cinderblock, but he did not seem convinced. He expressed something had occurred between them, but he did not say what it was. I did not wish to pry further as we had all encountered enough upset. I am sorry I did not mention this before, but it did not seem so important as it perhaps does now."

Star looked upset, as though she might begin crying. Robin hated to see her cry and he softened his gaze, his heart warming. "Hey, Star. It's okay. Don't worry. Thanks for telling me the truth. So, Beast Boy and Raven had an argument or something before the fight?"

"I do not know," answered the princess honestly, wiping a tear away from her eye before it could fully form. "He did not say. He said 'something had happened' between them. It could have been an argument or something else…"

"Something else?" Robin repeated, parrot fashion. The boy wonder contemplated this statement for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought. He suddenly made sense of the Tameranean's meaning and widened his eyes. "You mean…"

"I do not know," interrupted Star, shrugging. "But we have often spoken of their undeclared affection with friend Cyborg. Perhaps something occurred of that nature of which we are all unaware."

Robin considered this possibility. True, other the three Titans had taken part in several conversations about their recognition that over the past few years Raven and Beast Boy had started to act slightly differently towards each other. There was always a flicker of something between them, even as teenagers, but it seemed to have grown as they had matured. None of them wanted to get involved, so it simply remained a tacit fact that the team were aware of.

"Well...I suppose something _could_ have happened," conceded Robin, nodding slowly. "Do you remember anything unusual that day?"

"I…had the girl talk with Raven, perhaps that may have created some thoughts for her about her own feelings?" admitted Starfire, uncomfortably. She shifted her weight through her feet and looked at the floor. "I think she still harbours much pain over her dealings with the evil Malchior."

Robin nodded again. He was aware of that fact, and it was of no surprise to him that Raven's heart would be fragile after her experience. He sighed a little at the mention of Malchior's name. It wasn't a good memory. Starfire returned the sigh knowingly and they both stood in silence for a few moments, staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the room.

Abruptly, something dawned on Robin. He raised his eyebrow and looked back towards the redhead slowly. "Girl talk? With _Raven_?"

Starfire turned to him surprised at his statement. She nodded, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Yes…why? Is this strange?"

"It's just…uh…well…" began Robin, uncertain how to phrase his feelings without sounding horrible. "I'm...surprised that Raven would…be up for…girl talk? It just doesn't seem her style."

Starfire rolled her eyes and then gave a sad smile to the boy wonder. "There is so much you don't know, Robin. You think you have everything so 'figured out' and yet you really don't comprehend as much as you think you do."

Ouch. That stung. Coming from Starfire, those words felt a little harsh somehow. But clearly she was right; he would never had assumed that Raven was capable of girl talk, much less that she would willingly engage in it. He decided to try and recover the situation as best he could, feeling unfair to the empath somehow.

"So, you and Raven have girl talk a lot then, huh?"

Starfire nodded and stared directly in front of herself again. She folded one arm across herself and rubbed it up and down the other one slowly.

"Oh yes. Raven gives the best advice. Particularly…" she trailed off, unsure whether to continue. She took a deep breath, the empath's words in her head. "Particularly in matters of the heart."

"O-oh?" stammered the boy wonder, feeling his face flush. He and Starfire had experienced several moments of romance, even sharing a brief kiss once. But somehow it had never moved any further forward. He knew it was his strange resistance at admitting his feelings; they made him feel so out of control. But he cursed himself on a daily basis, especially when he saw how his lack of commitment affected the Tameranean. "What kind of matters of the heart?"

Star looked back at him with a sense of pity and sorrow in her eyes. Her voice was soft. "You do not know?"

Robin did know, but he shook his head despite himself. It felt so wrong as he did it that he wanted to reach out and slap himself. Starfire's hopeful gaze was shattered for a moment and she blinked back a few tears before looking away from him.

"I see," she stated, a little more coldly. "You do not have a heart to discuss, clearly."

Ouch again. Robin swallowed, realising what damage he was causing. How could he properly commit to a relationship with the young woman when he couldn't even be honest with himself? He tried again to reconcile, feeling hopeless inside.

"I'm sorry, Star. I didn't mean to upset you," he tried gently. He touched her arm again. He could feel her warmth even through his gloved hand. He wanted to grab her lustfully but held back with everything he could. He needed to remain in control somehow. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, I am not," responded Starfire, calmly. She shifted her feet again so that his hand wasn't touching her anymore. He let it fall back to his side, feeling the sting of her rejection. "I expect this of you now. You do not know what you want, Robin. Until you do, no one can help you. I will get myself cleaned up. Do please keep me updated on Raven's situation and please make me aware of when I am needed for _k'norfka_ duties. Goodbye, _friend_."

The last word was said almost sarcastically; she had learned something from her time with Raven after all. The inflection perfectly resembled the Azarathian's own monotone one. She turned on her heel and walked away from him, headed for the door.

She was going towards her room, Robin knew. How was he so able to mess everything up at every turn? Suddenly the vision of Raven in the medical bay flashed into his head. Starfire took her place in his mind's eye, covered in tubes and wires. Without warning, he felt intense pain radiating through his body. He winced, recognising how much she meant to him. What if she wasn't here tomorrow? What if he never got a chance to make these feelings a reality? He felt panicked, suddenly overtaken by emotion.

"Wait!" he yelled abruptly, despite his head screaming not to. He couldn't help it. Starfire was at the door and had already pushed the button. Her hand rested on the doorframe as she turned back towards him. Her eyes looked full of melancholy and he knew she was close to tears. Another pang of guilt wracked him as he acknowledged the serious implications of his actions. "Star, I _do_ know what I want."

Hear head tilted, her eyes filled with confusion at his statement. He could tell she was trying to hold it together and remain in control, much like he had been. "You do?"

He walked towards her slowly, his heart beating in his throat. His palms were sweating under his gloves. He knew that a few beads of sweat were forming under his hairline. His nerves were written all over him, yet he tried his hardest to maintain his usual cool composure. His emotions were rattling within him, eager to get out. "You know…you know how I feel about you, Kori."

She blushed at the mention of her real name, but her resolve was strong. She looked at him evenly, raising her chin defiantly. "I thought I did, once. These days I am not so sure."

"I'm useless at this," admitted the boy wonder truthfully, shaking his head and adjusting his belt tensely. "I never know what to say to you. How to act."

"Why is it so difficult to show what you are really feeling? Why do you hide from everyone? Hide from me?"

"It's...the way I was brought up, the only way I know how to be," responded Robin, trying his best to be honest with the young woman. It was so difficult. He could almost feel the words sticking in his throat. "I lost everything once. If I let myself get too close, if I feel too much…what happens if I lose it all again?"

Starfire's face changed slightly, her lips moving with a more empathic note. "Robin. You are so alone. We all care for you. But you are so alone. Because you choose it to be that way. You shut us all out. You do it to us all, even me."

"I know," nodded the leader, feeling completely numb all of a sudden. His eyes lowered to the floor. He hated himself in that moment. The way his attitude affected other people, how he pushed them away. "I know I do. I wish I didn't."

"Then don't," breathed the princess, turning around so that they were face to face again, their bodies aligned. "Let me in."

"I can't," replied Robin, sadly. He felt torn, conflicted, confused. But most of all terrified. His voice came out, but it was barely above a whisper. "I can't lose you. I can't risk it, Star."

"Richard," she whispered, using his real name to get his attention. His eyes moved up slowly. "You _are_ losing me. When you behave in this way. You are. Do you see? You are sabotaging yourself."

Her words hit him like a train. He swallowed, the nerves coursing through his body. His heart was hammering, his fear strangely making everything seem brighter. The Tameranean was looking at him steadily, her breath warm on his face. Her eyes were full of something he couldn't name but knew well. He couldn't fight it anymore. He didn't want to. He let his instincts take over, grabbing her and pressing his lips to hers passionately. Starfire was initially shocked at the sudden action, but she descended into the kiss almost immediately, reciprocating with her full desire. His hands were all over her, as she was pressed against the wall roughly. This was different from their previous moments. It was raw. More real. More fervent. She could feel her head vanishing as she sank into the moment, letting herself go. Robin was dizzy, he couldn't believe what was happening. His self-control had gone as he surged against her, lips on fire. Then as quickly as it started it was over, leaving the two panting as they pulled apart, blushes on their faces. Starfire looked over at the man in shock, her eyes wide. He looked back at her, equally shocked at what he had just done. It was as though something had taken over his body. He calmed himself down for a moment before moving towards her more gently, his control regained. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she breathed into him. He held her softly as she calmed down, and they both recovered from the immodest incident. Robin felt brave enough to speak, although his voice was slightly shaky.

"Star, I'm sorry, I—"

"Don't apologise," interrupted the Tameranean, pulling him closer into a tender hug. "Thank you for being honest with me. With yourself."

Robin returned the hug and smiled. His love for her was so strong and in this moment, he didn't care about his rules, his boundaries. He just wanted to be with her no matter the cost. "You _do_ know how I feel about you. Right?"

"I do," responded Starfire sweetly, as their hug came to an end. "I hope that you are also aware of my feelings for you."

Robin pulled back a little so that they were apart and yet still staring at each other. He nodded, but his eyes were filled with sadness behind the mask. "A moment ago all I could imagine was you in the state Raven was in and it was killing me."

"Oh, _Robin_ ," stated the princess, a real sorrow seeping all over her. She was saddened at Robin's thoughts but also at being reminded of the current state of her friend. "I am fine. But, even if some day I am not...it is better this way, is it not? To be honest about what we are feeling? I...I..."

She trailed off, her bravery leaving her. She took a deep breath and released it, with her eyes closed. Her green eyes flickered open again. "I am in love with you. I cannot pretend that I am not any longer. I am scared in some ways but in other ways I am ready to say this now. I am no longer a child, I am a woman. And you are no longer a boy but a man. This is not silly teenage romance. This is _real_."

Robin watched her face as she spoke so fervently about him. There was a small redness about her cheeks, which only added to her beauty. She took his breath away in every movement that she made. Yet she wasn't only beautiful but wise. Her words had hit him right in the chest, he could feel the warmth rolling all over his body. His heart was so full. Suddenly, his head needed to try once more to bring logic back into it. "Star, I understand what you are saying. I love you too, you know I do. But we're superheroes. We're team mates. We're friends. This is going to change everything."

Starfire couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his internal conflict. It was such a Robin thing to say, and yet so painfully sad at the same time. "Robin, I will feel this way for you and you will feel this way for me whether we act upon it or we do not. It will change nothing, other than providing us with some happiness. As a very good friend once told me, everyone deserves a chance to be happy. Even us."

Robin's eyes widened as he realised that she had just shared a portion of Raven's 'girl talk' that had been eluded to earlier. He gave a slight exhalation in his mind; so, Raven _was_ good at romantic advice after all. If he'd been wrong about that, what else could he be wrong about? Starfire was right, maybe he didn't know much about anything at all. He felt the warmth return and gave her a squeeze. He reached gently towards her and placed his lips on her for a second time; this time less impassioned and more certain. As they broke away, her eyes looked at him for some kind of answer, some kind of affirmation. He smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time. Their hands were entangled together, as they gazed at each other adoringly.

"Okay, then. Let's take a risk. I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?"

Starfire nodded, her eyes filling with happy tears and a large smile over her face. She sniffed them back for a moment and found her voice again. "More than anything, Robin. I want to be with you, now and always."

"Then let's be together," replied Robin, reaching in for another brief kiss. He smiled at her, feeling her heart beating against his chest. "Now and always."

* * *

A week passed by and Raven's recovery was progressing well. Every now and then she would be encased in blue light before engaging in lengthy sleeps. Doctor Fernandes had paid another visit and confirmed that this was a natural part of her healing process and readjustment to the world. Raven's health was signed off by the Doc as being the best it possibly could be at this stage.

Beast Boy rarely left her side, catnapping next to her in the uncomfortable medbay chair without a moment's complaint. Just as Cyborg had hoped, Bumblebee had come over again from Titan's East and was doing her best to support the team. Speedy was on standby to step in at a moment's notice, and Aqualad was in reserve after that. Things seemed to be ticking along quite well, and everyone felt able to finally release a sense of relief.

Starfire and Robin had announced their decision to the others, to only be greeted by an unsurprising chorus of: "ABOUT TIME!"

For the first time in months, everyone in the tower seemed to be contented with their life. Raven's speech was improving, and her vision was beginning to return slowly but surely. She could now pick out shapes much more clearly, although things like facial features were still proving to be a problem. She was incredibly frustrated by this and made mention of it at every possible interlude. Her memory was starting to return, interspersed with periods of intense blackness. She was trying to be optimistic and took great comfort in the support of her friends; especially the support and kindness of changeling. They had grown closer over the past week, she noticed. Lying in her medbay bed one day, she turned to look at him firmly.

"Garfield," she said, in her authoritative tone. The green young man turned to look at her and raised his eyebrows. He was used to her expressing this name for him now, but this sounded serious. "I want room."

"You want room?" asked the changeling, his ears twitching slightly as he tried to grasp the young woman's meaning. "Oh, you mean you want to go back into your own room?"

Raven nodded, giving a small smile to him. She was pleased he had understood. As they spent more time together he was learning more and more how to interpret what she was saying, and it satisfied her no end. "Yes. My room. Need space."

"I know what you mean, Rae," responded Beast Boy, kindly. He placed his hand over her own, to show her he wasn't just trying to fob her off. "But well...I can't make those kinds of decisions. Cy will need to make sure that you are okay enough to go back there and not be under observation all the time and we'll have to run it past Robin too."

The empath pouted, feeling fed up. She folded her arms and squinted down at her belt dourly. Beast Boy couldn't help but give a little laugh at her petulance; she was like a little girl who had been refused a lollipop. "Oh, come on, Raven. I'll ask our fearless leader for you, okay? But no promises."

She gave a sideward glance to him, arms still folded. But her pout was replaced by a small smile. "Deal."

"Okay, good acting missy," laughed Beast Boy pretending to be annoyed that he had been taken in by her act. "I'm _supposed_ to be watching out for you, even though you make it difficult for me almost every day. You enjoy challenging me, huh?"

Raven nodded, giving a bigger smile. Her arms unfolded and played with her hair absently. "Bored. Got to have...fun...somehow."

"Dude, at my expense though!" exclaimed the changeling in faux shock and disgust. He gasped and put his hand to his forehead dramatically. "The nerve!"

She smirked at his act and gave him a look. "Quiet, Gar."

He stuck his tongue out at her and waggled it. She frowned and peered at his face sternly. "Saw that."

"Ah, the eyesight is getting better then," he joked, leaning forward and resting his elbows onto the bed. "Soon you'll be able to gaze at my beautiful face again, don't worry."

Raven wrinkled her nose at him in protest. Garfield laughed at her and patted her hand again amicably. "Alright Rae, I'm done teasing you. Shouldn't you be taking another rest or healing yourself for a while?"

"No," responded the empath, grumpily. She knew her energy was spent, much to her disatsifaction. "Done...for...today."

"Okay, okay," answered Beast Boy, holding his hands up in defeat. "What do _you_ want to do, Rae?"

Raven thought to herself for a moment. What she _wanted_ to do was talk to Beast Boy about the place she had been for the past three months. It was all she wanted to talk to anyone about. It was making her feel like she had a split personality. She understood that this was her reality, where she was meant to be. But the other reality was...well, real. She didn't want to lose that. She felt bereft somehow. She sighed in an exasperated way, never realising that the lack of being able to talk would trouble her so much. Beast Boy was looking at her curiously, she could sense his rising anxiety and decided that she needed to try and think of something else. Inspiration came to her in a flash.

"Tell me," she stated, calmly. "Accident."

"Tell you about the accident?" tried the young man, and the Azarathian nodded. Beast Boy gave a small wince. She hadn't asked about this since that first day she awoke, and he was unsure if it was a good idea. "You sure? I could read a book to you or something instead?"

"No, _accident_ ," responded the empath firmly, folding her arms and pouting again. The changeling laughed at her, despite himself.

"Alright, alright moody," he soothed, running his hand through his hair and relenting. "It's just...I wouldn't want to upset you."

"It's okay," managed Raven, giving an encouraging smile. "Want...to know."

"Okay, Rae. If you want to know then I'll tell you. Well, we went down to the city because we had a call that Cinderblock was destroying downtown. There was a children's hospital nearby and Robin was worried that he might hurt some of the sick kids there, so we headed down as quickly as we could. It wasn't a good place for a fight. There was so much dust and we couldn't see or breathe barely. Do you remember?"

Smoke. Blackness. Raven remembered it. It was coming back to her in flashes. That's right, near the hospital. The smog filled her lungs for a moment. She nodded.

"You disappeared for a while...well we all lost each other really in the fog...but the rest of us managed to team up again on the roof. But we couldn't find you. We got worried. Me and Star came back for you, and found you'd been trapped at the bottom. You were fighting—"

"Cinderblock," interrupted Raven, her eyes suddenly full of memories. Beast Boy noticed the sudden change in her and reached for her hand again. He was worried that she was getting upset. She took a deep breath and gave him a reassuring squeeze, nodding slowly. "Yes. Was stuck."

"Yeah, that's right Raven. You were pinned down and me and Star tried to help get you away, but you were...distracted. You didn't see the hands coming out and..."

The changeling trailed off slightly, letting her hand go. He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his temples. He was wracked with guilt again. His heart was sore thinking about that day, about her lifeless body flying through the air. The blood. The hand poking out of debris. It made him feel sick.

"Guilty," stated Raven, suddenly. Her face was confused, frowning at him sadly. She reached back out for his hand. He gave it to her, reluctantly this time. "Why?"

She could sense his guilt, he'd let his guard down for a moment. The changeling didn't answer her for a moment. He couldn't. He tried his best to think of something plausible to say. "It was my fault, I should have done more to save you. I'm so sorry."

Raven tilted her head, her eyes trying to focus on his. They were still foggy, but she could see the young man's pained expression and she felt his guilt seeping all over her like a cold flannel. "No. Cinderblock, not you."

Garfield felt an intense sadness hit him at her kind words. She didn't remember what had happened before. She was trying to reassure him without the full information. That wasn't fair. He had to tell her. Every instinct in him told him not to, but he fought them off. It was the right thing to do. "Raven...you and I...we had a...difficult conversation before the fight. Do you remember that?"

The empath looked towards the wall and frowned, trying to remember. There were bits and pieces coming back to her. She was trying her best, but it just all felt foggy somehow. She shook her head in defeat and looked back at the shapeshifter blankly. "No. What?"

"It's...hard to explain," managed the changeling, softly. "I really don't want to upset you."

"Tell...me," she managed, looking back at him and feeling concerned. Since waking up he had been her lifeline and she felt so close to him. She knew their relationship had been up and down in the past, but she had such strong feelings for him since the coma and she knew from her abilities that he had a strong care for her too. She didn't like that he was feeling this way, and she wanted to help him somehow.

Garfield bit his lip, in agony. He knew he needed to be honest; it was only fair. But a selfish part of him felt that things between them were the best they had ever been, and he didn't want to ruin that. He didn't want her to stop talking to him again, to clam up. But she had a right to know what had transpired against them, otherwise he would be lying to her and that didn't seem right either. He needed to choose and fast.

Loyalty. The changeling was loyal to his core, often to his detriment. He felt the defeat hit him as he opened his mouth. How could he explain it in words? Closing it again a moment later, he decided on trying a different approach. He reached over and took hold of her arm and touched it to his own in the exact same way that she had grabbed him that day. He waited, but it didn't take long. Raven felt the sudden memory hit her like a ton of bricks.

Oh God. What had she done? The embarrassment. The shame. The _rejection_. The emotions flew over her at an overwhelming rate.

She retracted her hand from him like lightening at the realisation of what had happened. She breathed heavily, and tears poured from her eyes. Her thoughts began to run riot. 'Oh no, not _that_ memory. I'm so stupid, what was I even doing that day? Thinking I could show him how I was feeling. Thinking that he would feel the same. Thinking I was capable of a normal...ugh...what an idiot.'

"Rae," tried the young man, gently. "I need to explain this to you, I need to tell you what happened from my point of view. I know you're angry with me, but you need to hear what I have to say. Please."

Raven shook her head, hugging her arms across her body tightly. She felt vulnerable all of a sudden, even with him there. She sniffed as some more tears fell down her cheeks. There was a crash next to them as a medical trolley exploded upwards, scattering debris all around. Beast Boy sighed. He knew being honest was going to be the harder option, but it _was_ the veracious thing to do. She knew now. They were right where they had left off. It was as though that alone somehow it made his guilt easier. If he could just make her listen, then he was sure that he could put things right.

"Raven, I—"

There were footsteps behind him as Star and Robin came running over. They skidded to a halt by the bedside and eyed the smashed trolley and the tear stained cheeks of the empath warily.

"Beast Boy, what happened? We heard a crash," began Robin, slowly. He placed a hand on the changeling's shoulder. "Everything okay here?"

"Well, I—"

"Fine, Robin," interrupted Raven, in a surprisingly normal voice all of a sudden. The other two Titans snapped their heads round in surprise. "Just bad memory."

Beast Boy's head turned to look at the empath; her violet eyes were staring at the boy wonder full of defiance. She wasn't about to breach their confidentiality despite the circumstances. He let himself feel relief and gratitude openly and hoped she would notice the shift in his state. She didn't move or change her face to indicate anything, much to the changeling's dismay. He decided to repay her kindness in one way that he could. Give her what she'd asked for; her space.

"Yeah. Just a bad memory. Anyway, Raven was asking before about being allowed to return to her room," he stated, calming his voice down as much as he could. In truth, he wanted to scream and shout and throw everything around. He was so frustrated that he couldn't get through to her. But he knew it wasn't her fault, or any of the other Titan's concern so he kept it bottled up for now. He knew he needed to pay a visit to the gym to burn off some steam. Keeping his mind clear for now, he continued addressing Robin. "Is that something we can arrange for her?"

"Sure, that seems reasonable," conceded the leader, nodding. He turned to the empath. "Would you be more comfortable in there?"

"Yes," she stated simply, nodding. "My safe place."

"I understand," replied Robin, smiling at her kindly. "Let me go and speak to Cy, Starfire are you okay to hang around with these two for a moment and clear up the mess?"

"Of course," replied Starfire, brightly. She immediately turned and started to clear away the glass and clutter from the exploded trolley. Beast Boy looked at Raven. She was evading his every glance and staring off into space, a sad look on her face. They needed some time apart to process what had just happened, and he knew it. He stood up from the chair and looked towards his redheaded friend.

"Star," began the changeling, slowly. The Tameranean looked up from her task, eyebrows raised. "Could you take over for a while? I think I could do with some time to sort a few things out. Stretch my legs."

"Of course, friend!" exclaimed Star, standing up quickly. "I would be happy to take some _k'norfka_ time with my best friend. It will be lovely to hear how she is feeling today."

Raven looked at her and gave a small smile, but she looked distracted. Starfire had a sense something had happened but kept her distance for the sake of their privacy. She knew that they would speak to her about it if and when they wanted to. The princess smiled convincingly at Beast Boy who nodded appreciatively back at her. He had already figured she was most likely aware of their lies but knew she would be sensitive. These days, she was often the most sensitive among them. He took his escape route gratefully.

"Great, I'll be in the gym if anyone wants me," he announced, hoping that Raven would know that he was holding his frustration back for her. She didn't look at him, instead fiddling with her hair again. "See you later, Raven."

He turned and walked out of the room quickly, leaving a concerned Tameranean in his wake.


	14. Chapter 14 - Friends and Mentors

**Author's note:** **I hope you all had a lovely festive period, I certainly did, and I enjoyed my break. I've managed to scrabble together my next chapter from my notes and it's here for your reading pleasure :) I would like to thank all readers and reviewers again for their kind words. Sanzojoe – BB is** _ **definitely**_ **not expendable! He just sees himself as such (very sadly) most likely due to the guilt he carries for Raven's accident. Don't worry, the team don't see him that way as you'll soon see ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter! Victoriagp2222 – Thanks so much! I hope you and yours had happy holidays too.**

 **This chapter explores the Raven-Robin friendship, one which I don't write often, as well as some BBRae fluff (of course, it's me after all). Enjoy :)**

 **Disclaimer:** **As always, I do not own the Teen Titans or Batman.**

* * *

 **Chapter fourteen – Friends and Mentors**

Starfire, Cyborg and Robin gently eased the empath back into her room alongside some of the necessary equipment and medical supplies. Raven eyed them all gingerly as they traipsed about in her personal space, but she knew it was a necessary evil for them to be there. Within minutes she was comfortably in her own double bed with the overhanging hood that she knew so well. She gave a contented smile and a thumbs-up to her fellow Titans, to show her satisfaction.

"Thank...you," she managed, giving her best smile. Their faces were still blurry to her, but she could sense their happiness and assumed that they were smiling back at her. "Better here."

"I know, little lady," stated Cyborg, gently ruffling her hair and straightening her blankets in a fatherly manner. "Sorry to have to keep you under observation for so long, but we didn't want to take any risks, ya know?"

"Understand," replied the Azarathian, kindly. She touched the metal man's arm gently and gave a small squeeze on his skin. "Just...better here now."

Cyborg gave her hand a squeeze back, smiling at the young woman and her childlike statements. It was so unlike Raven to speak this way, and yet it was in her familiar voice that he knew so well. It felt strange somehow. He looked towards the other two Titans slowly. "Where's B at? Is he not takin' over looking after our special lady here?"

The other two Titans exchanged a glance, but then the leader spoke quickly. "He's on a break at the moment, Cy. I'm going to take over from Star now that we've got Raven settled, and then he'll come back when he's ready. Any problems in the meantime, you can come and let me know."

"Sure thing, you're the boss," stated Cyborg, cheerfully. He eyed the young Azarathian strangely for a moment, sensing that something wasn't quite right but he knew better than to push it. Especially in front of her. "I promised to go and give Bee a hand with somethin', so I'll catch y'all later. Don't be gettin' into trouble, Raven, you hear me? Otherwise I'll have to get all stern on you."

"Got it," replied Raven, giving another smile to her friend. He was like an older brother to her; she loved him dearly and he loved her. She knew his threats were coming from a place of affection. Despite this, she gave him her driest stare. "No...parties."

Cy let out a huge belly laugh at the young woman's joke and clutched his sides. She smiled at his response, feeling glad she could lighten the atmosphere. Wiping a tear from his eye, he looked at her again. "Since when did you get funny? You've clearly been spending too much time with the green bean."

Raven looked away at the mention of the changeling, her eyes changing slightly. She felt the earlier emotions wrenching at her chest. She couldn't face pretending in that moment and couldn't meet Cyborg's eye. "Maybe."

"Well," stated the cybernetic teen, noticing he had hit a nerve which confirmed his earlier suspicions. "I'll leave you guys to it. See you later, party girl."

He gave the empath a friendly hug and then walked out of the room past Starfire and Robin, nodding at them both. They nodded back as he passed through the doorway and his footsteps echoed down the corridor into silence. Starfire floated next to her boyfriend and looked at Raven anxiously.

"Are you comfortable, friend? Is there anything that you are needing?" asked the Tameranean, in her sweetest tone of voice. "I am at your service, so do just say if there is anything at all."

Raven shook her head and again managed a smile. She could sense the anxiety in her friend and wanted to allay her fears as best as she could. "Fine, Star."

"I shall also be taking the leave then," stated the princess, looking at Robin. She gave him a light peck on the lips and then a squeeze on the arm. He nodded towards her in a way that gave her reassurance. She turned back to Raven briefly. "I will see you on my next shift, my little _k'norfka._ I shall bring more puddings for your delight."

Raven managed to mask her gag reflex and continued smiling kindly at the blurry Starfire shape bobbing before her. She nodded and waved towards her as the young redhead exited the room and flew away. Robin walked towards Raven's bed and pulled up the now familiar chair which they'd moved across from the medbay. He reached out to the empath and squeezed her hand lightly to let her know he was there. She smiled in response and squeezed back.

"I'm here if you need anything, Raven," began the boy wonder, kindly. "But if you want to sleep that's fine, I can sit quietly."

Raven was desperately tired, but her interaction with Beast Boy was whizzing around her mind so fast it was making her feel dizzy. Why was it that he got under her skin like that? That such a small incident with him left such a huge impact on her? She didn't want to think about the reasons too much as they felt so painful. Things in the other world were so much simpler. More straightforward. She felt the familiar longing to go back there and live that normal life. Be that normal girl. She sighed.

"Something on your mind?" asked Robin, squeezing her hand again then letting go and sitting back in his chair. Raven had been so lost in her thoughts she had almost forgotten that he was sitting there. She sighed again and shrugged. Robin frowned a little at her. "You mentioned a bad memory earlier, something came back to you. I don't want to pry, but I wondered if you're feeling okay; it seemed very upsetting."

Raven felt herself flinch at the mention of the memory. But Robin was right, she had said that, she had brought it up to them. She shrugged again and mumbled a vague word at the leader. "Accident."

"Oh, you remembered the day of the accident," deciphered the young man, leaning forwards in his chair again and resting his elbows on his knees. Raven felt momentarily frustrated. She couldn't sense Robin's emotions as well as the others despite her empathic abilities. His cool, composed outer shell made it more difficult for her to read him. It unnerved her at times. He continued talking, obliviously. "I can imagine that must have been a difficult memory."

Something dawned on Raven in an instant. What if Beast Boy had told the others what had happened? She felt nauseous all of a sudden and clutched her bedsheets in her hands. He wouldn't have told _Robin_ though, of all people. Cyborg she could envisage. Starfire was a possibility. But Robin? No way. The two were barely close as it was. She had a stronger bond with the boy wonder than the changeling did. Yet...it seemed as though he knew something more than he was letting on. She kept her face as blank as she could and nodded at him, letting him do the work. Hopefully she would be able to gauge what he knew from his reactions. No powers needed for once.

"I know that it was horrible what happened that day, although we weren't actually there to see it," continued Robin, unaware of the thoughts running through the Azarathian's mind. "I never mentioned it before, but it was Beast Boy who found you and saved your life."

Raven's eyes widened at this. She had no memory whatsoever of anything past the battle and this new piece of information startled her for a moment. "S-saved me?"

Robin nodded towards her; she could see his blurry head making an affirmative motion and swallowed. "Yes, he came after you when he saw you'd been attacked - at great risk to his own safety. Then he pulled you out from under all the debris and transported you back to the medbay carefully whilst we dealt with Cinderblock. He bandaged your wounds, got you safely in bed and looked after you until we got back to help."

"Oh," stated Raven, unsure what else to say. Her heart was pounding in her chest at this new information. He saved her life. Cared for her. At great risk to himself. But why? She knew that they were friends but...was there something more? Perhaps guilt for earlier actions? Or regret? Or something else? Her mind swirled again. "Why?"

"Why did he save you?" clarified Robin, incredulously. He cleared his throat and softened his tone a little. "He _cares_ about you, Raven. We all care about you; don't you know that?"

She felt hot tears prick her eyes and a lump rising in her throat. Where did a half-demon who was predicted to destroy the world get such amazing friends? She almost felt as though she didn't deserve it. She looked up at Robin's blurry outline and smiled again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "Good...friends."

"Always," stated the boy wonder, smiling back at her. She could sense his barriers come down and some of the care he felt towards her radiating out. It warmed her and let her feel more at ease. He was being genuine. "Look, Raven, I don't want to interfere but it seemed like you and Beast Boy had a little altercation earlier. It's none of my business as to why you did, but maybe just remember that - whatever was said between you - there is always that care there for you. That whatever he's done, even if he's been an idiot in some way, at the root of it he means well. I can promise you that much."

Raven felt strange hearing Robin speak about Beast Boy. She could count on one hand the amount of times he had done so before. Did he know something? No, there wasn't anything behind his words. Perhaps he was just being kind? He could sense her vulnerability. His words echoed around her mind for a moment – _'care there for you'_. For her? His face in that memory; the shock, the panic at her touch. It didn't feel like care. It felt like horror. It was her worst fear realised in that one moment; that her friends would be frightened of her. Yet, what Robin was describing felt like a different response entirely. She sighed, frustrated at herself for her earlier reaction.

"He also volunteered to look after you," added the boy wonder, breaking her thoughts. "To be clear, I didn't order him to do so. He asked me if he could be your principal carer until you got better. To support us all, but especially to support you and your recovery."

Raven felt her cheeks flush slightly, although she wasn't sure why. "I...see."

"We're a team, Raven," continued Robin, sighing himself. "But we all make mistakes. We sometimes say or do things that are interpreted wrongly. We take each other for granted. We poke fun. We laugh and taunt. We scream and shout. But at the end of the day...we're family. All of those things will never change how we deeply we care about each other. Whatever was done in the past was done for a reason, but when the chips are down I _know_ that Beast Boy is someone that you can rely on."

The honesty of the boy wonder's sentiments made Raven's heart feel full. Her head and emotions were swirling round her, and she felt the familiar wrench as they threatened to come out and destroy some more medical supplies. She pushed them back as she had done many times before and took a deep breath. She repeated her mantra in her mind and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Thank you, Robin."

"Hey, you said that perfectly," laughed the young man, softly. "I can tell your healing is making you better every day. I'll soon have you back in that training room and with us in the field again, don't you worry."

"Look...forward...to...it," managed Raven, with a small smile. That was it, her energy was spent, and she yawned widely. "Tired."

"Rest," stated the boy wonder, taking out his communicator and pressing a few buttons. "I'll be here if you need anything."

The empath nodded and felt her eyes drifting shut naturally. Robin looked at her as she was taken away by sleep and let out a small breath of relief. He hoped that in some small way he had helped the team heal, and in particular helped the changeling to rectify whatever he had created. Allowing himself a small smile he glanced back down to his communicator and tapped away as the young woman slept peacefully.

* * *

 _Thwack. Boom. Pow. Thud._

The noises echoed around the training room gym, as Beast Boy stood there with sweat beading all over his brow. He let his animalistic side free as he tore into the punching bag, although he retained his human form throughout. It felt good to allow himself these primal moments; as though he was scratching some itch that he kept controlled every day. He paused momentarily, panting. Reaching down he grasped a water bottle and took a long swig. How long had he been here? An hour or two he supposed. Time wasn't really his forte. Wiping the sweat from his brow with his free hand he let his mind start to wander back over his conversation with Raven. Now he was calmer, he was able to rationalise some of what was said.

"It seems your talents have improved since we last met, Garfield," came a cool voice from over his shoulder, breaking his thoughts. The changeling turned in an instant, snarling in shock at being snuck up on. How did his hearing not pick up the mystery person? Recognition glowed over his eyes as he saw his 'assailant'. Ah. That was why.

"You startled me," stated Beast Boy, with some amusement in his voice. "Good to see you, Batman."

The dark knight appeared from the shadows, his cloak slightly billowing as he walked. Bruce Wayne was one of the few people who could sneak up on the shapeshifter despite his excellent hearing and sense of smell. He placed the water bottle down and wiped his hand on his trousers before extending it towards Batman slowly. It was received by a dark gloved response and firmly shaken.

"How are things, Beast Boy?" asked the man, with a gentle tone to his voice. "I hear that some tragic times have been ostensible for your team lately."

"You could say that," replied Garfield, a light smile on his lips. Long words didn't frighten him anymore. "We've been through worse."

"Indeed, you have," responded Batman, folding his arms and tilting his head slightly. "How is she?"

"Getting better but the progress is slow," responded the changeling, unable to mask the sadness in his voice. "She recognises us all, but her vision is still blurry. Her speech is partial, and her memory is patchy at best. But despite all that...it's just good to have her back."

"Ah, yes," responded the dark knight, in an even tone. "I recall your fondness for her."

Garfield felt a flush come to his face, unsure what to make of the comment. He looked into the masked face of their mentor, his green eyes trying to replicate Bruce's calm demeanour. "Yes. We're all fond of her. She's part of our team."

"Hmm," muttered Batman, rubbing his chin. Garfield knew that teamwork wasn't something that Bruce was wholly comfortable with, despite his dealings with the Justice League. "Well, I'm glad that Dr. Fernandes was able to be of assistance. Hopefully her improvement will continue under the doctor's watchful eye."

"I don't doubt that. She's been amazing," answered the young man, truthfully. "We couldn't have coped without the Doc's support. Thanks for sending her."

"My pleasure," responded Batman smiling a little, although Beast Boy could never tell if he was being earnest or not. "It's good to see you, Garfield. Sorry to cut it short but I'd like to see Raven for myself - and Robin too whilst I'm here."

"Yeah, of course," smiled the shapeshifter, nodding. He reached down to grasp his bottle of water again from the floor and then stood back upright. "Do you know where you're going or-?"

The room was empty again. Beast Boy blinked and turned around, scanning with all of his senses. Nothing. He smiled to himself and shook his head, understanding where Robin got his strange nuances from. Feeling better from his workout, the changeling decided he needed to get himself cleaned up and get back to his duties. Even if Raven was refusing to speak to him at least he could go and try to support her recovery. She meant so much to him, even if she wasn't fully aware of it. He had to try.

* * *

Batman's visit to the Titans was brief at best, but he managed to fleetingly speak with Raven and satisfy his own curiosity as to her condition. He pulled Robin out from his caring duties as the young woman slept again and spoke with him in the corridor in hushed voices. Beast Boy approached the scene cautiously, unsure whether he should speak to them or leave them to it. He eyed Raven's room nervously and shifted his weight between his feet, trying to make an adult decision. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the duo slowly, his ears twitching.

"—yes, I'm sure, Bruce. She's going to recover swiftly and then we'll be back up to our normal standards."

"Dick, it's just not safe to operate like this. Strategically, you're leaving yourselves open to attack. If someone realises that she's here and vulnerable like this—"

"They won't," replied Robin, a stern and defiant tone to his voice. "Besides, Beast Boy is here looking after her when we're away on missions. He can take care of her, I don't doubt his abilities for a second."

Beast Boy felt something pass through him at these words. So, Robin _really_ had faith in him? That was surprising, and yet hearing his leader's comments made the changeling feel a sense of pride. Perhaps he wasn't as expendable as he first thought.

"Hmm. Yes, I witnessed his skills in the gym earlier; he has certainly improved. But this whole thing makes me uneasy, Richard."

"We'll handle it," responded the boy wonder, still maintaining his boldness and calm attitude. "We've handled it for the past three months and we can handle it now. Trust me, for once."

"Company," responded Batman, looking towards the changeling as he approached. Robin's eyes flicked to the right and he gave a small smile despite the conversation he was having. It appeared that the shapeshifter had gotten away with his eavesdropping for the time being.

"Hi guys," began Garfield, feeling awkward all of a sudden. He nodded at Batman who nodded back. Beast Boy slowly looked back at Robin, trying to evade the stare of the dark knight. "Sorry to disturb you, dude. But I'm back from my break now, so I can take over if you want...?"

"That would be great, Beast Boy, thanks," replied Robin, gratefully. "She's sleeping right now, but it would be useful for me to spend some time managing other more pressing matters."

The changeling nodded again and gave a toothy smile to the duo. "No problem! I'll go sort it all out, you guys go do what you've gotta do."

Robin smiled briefly again and then turned back towards Batman, signalling for him to follow. They departed down the corridor, heading towards the boy wonder's room. Beast Boy watched them both vanish and felt a sense of sorrow that Robin was having to manage all these difficult questions and comments from his mentor. His support for the team had been immeasurable these past few months, and it saddened the changeling to think that he was getting a hard time over it. Robin was by no means perfect, but he was trying his best and that was good enough for Garfield.

He sighed and looked towards Raven's door again. He bit his lip, his fang digging into him. He needed some kind of peace offering. Inspiration. Turning into a small cat, he also dashed off quickly down the corridor and disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Raven's eyes opened as she heard her door whizz again. It seemed as though Titans Tower was busy today, and yet she couldn't help continually drifting off. It was as though the healing was making her especially tired. She turned and propped herself up in the bed, and saw a familiar green face enter the room cautiously. He was nervous, she could sense it right away. Noting the pounding in her own chest, she realised that she was too. Recalling Robin's powerful words earlier, she managed a tiny smile and hoped that would suffice as a starting point for their conversation.

"Hey, Rae," came the soft voice she had come to know so well. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," responded Raven, shifting herself to get comfortable on the bed. She blinked her eyes hard. "Bruce here."

"Yes, I saw him," responded Beast Boy, nodding and sitting down in the chair next to her. "Did he come and see you?"

She nodded and gave a little shrug. "Yes. Short. Practical talk."

"Yeah, me too," laughed the changeling lightly, with a slight hint of nerves. He cleared his throat. "Hey, I brought you something. Here."

He held out a shape towards her that she knew well – a cup of tea, with steam curling its way upwards to the ceiling. She couldn't help but smile a little more as she saw the offering. She took the item carefully as she could, wrapping her hands around the warm mug. " _Tea_."

"Yeah, I hope I made it right. It's the herbal kind that you like, from your special cupboard in the kitchen. Look, I wanted to apologise for earlier, I didn't mean to upset you," began the changeling, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Can we start again, Raven?"

The Azarathian nodded, the warm fumes from the tea filling her nose and making her feel peaceful. She had so rarely been allowed the opportunity to drink it since waking up, and it was exactly what she needed after the stress of the day. "Thank you."

"Your speech is _so_ much better," remarked the young man, sounding pleased. "And you're back in your room too."

"Better," stated Raven, looking around her space happily whilst gripping her tea. "Much better."

"I'm glad," laughed Beast Boy, sitting back in the chair. "So...friends?"

Raven remembered Robin's earlier sentiment and decided to borrow it. "Always."

Garfield smiled at her response and she could feel him relax. There was a peaceful silence between the two of them as Raven sipped her tea calmly. Beast Boy seemed to be deep in thought as he picked up one of her many books and thumbed through it cautiously. Raven knew she didn't have to yell at him for touching her stuff anymore – he had learned over the years to be _very_ careful with her things. She glanced over towards his blurry shape. It seemed a little clearer than the day before and she noted that her vision was also beginning to improve. That gave her a moment of happiness. She also noticed that she was glad to be back in the shapeshifter's care. He seemed to know the right things to say and do to make her feel comfortable – more so than the other Titans, she realised. She looked at him with some amusement as his face frowned into the leather-bound tome.

"Hey, Raven," he said suddenly, with some concentration. "You know collective nouns?"

Raven nodded inquisitively, wondering where this line of conversation was going. The changeling pointed to a part in the book that he had just read. "Did you know that a group of ravens is called an unkindness?"

"Yes, read before," stated Raven disjointedly, understanding what he was driving at. He seemed bothered by it somehow. "Why?"

"I don't know, I just don't feel like a collection of you would be unfriendly," he shrugged, looking a bit confused. "What do you think?"

"Other ravens. Only one me," she stated, smiling at him. "Thankfully."

"Oh, I don't know," laughed the changeling, blushing slightly. "A few of you about the place wouldn't be so bad!"

Raven shot him a small glare and hid behind her tea, blushing herself. "Hmm."

"Well, I think we should think up another noun for it," he declared, snapping the book shut. "Let's see. A Reassurance of Ravens?"

Raven gave a small chuckle and decided to play along with his silly game. She thought for a moment before responding. "Rumble."

"Ah, a _rumble_ of Ravens, I like it," nodded Beast Boy, approvingly. He was glad she was taking part in something funny for once. "I know. A Radiance of Ravens?"

The empath couldn't help but blush again. "D-definitely...not."

"Oh, come on," he smiled cheekily, touching her hand lightly. "Ravens are _definitely_ radiant. I tell you what, I'll let you pick a collective noun for me _if_ you agree to that one. What do you say?"

"Fine," conceded Raven, putting the mug down and giving his hand a squeeze. "Gabble of Garfields."

The changeling laughed and clutched his sides, before giving her a little friendly scowl. "Hey! That was uncalled for. Hmm, what about a Glimmer of Garfields? I am pretty shiny."

"No. Giggle of Garfields," stated Raven, in her monotone voice, giving him a sideward glance. He chuckled a little more and squeezed her hand as she tried again. "Glee of Garfields."

"You're getting far too much enjoyment out of this," replied Beast Boy, sarcastically. He waggled his tongue at her and rubbed his thumb over hers absently as he thought. She felt her heart do a little jump at his actions and pushed it back. When did his touch start to feel okay and normal to her? She blinked to clear her thoughts as the changeling came up with another answer. "How about a Glamour of Garfields? Who could be more glamourous than your favourite green friend?"

Raven gave a tiny chortle. A word came into her mind and she was unsure whether to say it. Feeling brave she looked over at him. "A gift."

"A Gift of Garfields?" questioned the shapeshifter slowly, realising that she had ceased to joke and was looking at him seriously. He swallowed, and she could sense a change in his emotion state although she couldn't pinpoint it. "I'm not a gift, Rae."

"You saved...me," she replied, tilting her head slightly. "So yes. Gift."

Beast Boy's cheeks flushed a little and he fought to not pull his hand away in shame. "I...I—umm. H-how do you know about that?"

"Robin," responded Raven, reaching her other hand over and now running her hand soothingly over his. She could feel the discomfort radiating off him and wanted to comfort him somehow. "It's true?"

"Yes...it's true," replied the changeling honestly, feeling jittery with nerves all of a sudden. "I brought you back and looked after you after Cinderblock hurt you."

Raven could sense his concern and yet didn't really know how to respond in her current state. Not being able to see him or speak to him freely was frustrating her beyond belief.

"Wish speak better," she tried, throwing both hands up in the air suddenly and pouting, in a irritated manner. "Hate...this."

"I know," responded the changeling, soothingly. He transferred so he was sitting on the bed next to her, facing towards her. He reached over gently and smoothed the hair away from her face. She allowed him to do so, noticing how warm his hands were. "It'll get better soon, I promise. But...look...don't worry about the me 'saving you' thing. You would have done the same for me, right?"

Raven could see his green orbs looking at her with concern now he was closer. His long eyelashes, his almond shaped eyes. She could see his small fang poking out at the side. The light freckles that were barely visible against his green skin. She nodded, feeling disorientated all of a sudden by their close proximity.

"There you go, then I was right," responded the changeling, triumphantly. He sat back and beamed at her. "So, it can't _possibly_ be an unkindness of Ravens."

Raven rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. But she was grateful, and he knew it now. That was all that mattered. Weariness started to envelop her again, feeding her frustrations. "Ugh. Tired again."

"Don't worry," smiled Beast Boy, kindly. He transferred himself back to the chair as she snuggled back down in her bed. "I'll be here when you wake up. I'm glad we're friends and you're not mad with me, Rae."

"No, not mad," she confirmed, her eyes flickering closed. The drowsiness fed her honesty. "Glad."

"Glad?" he questioned, peering towards her curiously from his seat. "Glad about what?"

"Glad you're here," she responded, stifling a yawn. "Night, Gar."

She turned her back to him, her long lilac hair spilling out across the bed. He looked over at her and smiled, light tears in his eyes. He felt the relief wash over him at her words and stared at her caringly until he saw her rhythmical breathing and knew that sleep had pulled her away once again. Sitting in the chair next to the bed, his own eyes grew heavy as he watched the empath sleep. He gently rested his head forward onto his arms, using the edge of her bed as a pillow. Despite the strange position he found himself in, the changeling fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

Through the window two blue eyes watched the couple with interest then vanished into the air in an instant.


	15. Chapter 15 - Dreams and Nightmares

**Author's note:** **Interesting to see some old faces following my story – many thanks to you! From here on in please brace yourself for fluff and mayhem. I know the story has been dry in parts but don't worry, we've been building guys. Thanks for all your reviews, even if they are critical it's useful to me and helps me to write. I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans.**

* * *

 **Chapter fifteen – Dreams and Nightmares**

Beast Boy woke up with a start, not recognising his surroundings for a moment. It was dark; darker than normal, and there was a faint scent of incense in the air. Raven's room. He lifted his head from her bed and saw her figure resting there peacefully, just as she was when she drifted to sleep. He smiled and wiped the sleep from his eyes, stretching himself out. His throat was incredibly dry, and he coughed a little. Turning to her bedside table, he noticed the water jug was empty. Groaning, he rolled his eyes.

'Guess I should go get some more water, it's really warm in here and I'm guessing Rae will be thirsty when she wakes up too,' he thought to himself, standing up quietly. He carefully picked up the glass jug and walked towards the door pushing the button. He turned back to the bed to check that he hadn't woken the empath, but her breathing was rhythmical as always. He smiled again at her, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. Shaking his head, he quietly shut the door and slipped away down the corridor to the kitchen.

The waft of air from the door disturbed the Azarathian slightly and she began to stir. Turning back over in the bed, her eyes opened a crack. She saw a figure sitting in the chair in the darkened room as her vision began to adjust. Her eyes widened as she realised the figure wasn't the changeling. She reached out with her senses. It wasn't one of the other Titans either. Instinctively, her eyes glowed white and she shot up in the bed, staring at the person in the chair.

"Who's there?" she hissed, her violet orbs returning slowly. She felt fearful and alert all at the same time, as if her Titan training was taking over even in her weakened state. Her speech seemed to be stronger too, as adrenaline coursed through her system. The figure leaned forward into the moonlight. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. _Blood._

"Tara?" she muttered, completely confused. There before her was the familiar figure from the other world; Tara. She was wearing the same outfit she had been the day that she had killed George, her long blonde hair messy across her cerulean eyes. Crimson soaked the tips and was splattered across her front abnormally. A knife was in her hand, covered in the same dried blood and she twisted it against her finger menacingly.

"Hello, _Raven_ ," she said coldly, emphasising the empath's name. Raven felt her stomach twist, nausea hitting her as she struggled to push herself backwards in the bed. Tara. Tara was here? How was this possible? The other world was a fantasy, a hallucination. Robin said that it was all a bad dream, right? But yet...here Tara was, sitting in front of her, plain as day. The edges were fuzzy, but Raven was sure that it was her. She swallowed and stared at the girl, full of confusion.

"H-how...how are you—?"

"How am I here?" replied the young woman, twisting the knife back and forth steadily across her digit as she stared into the empath's eyes. "Does it really matter? I'm here. I've come for you."

"No," whispered the Azarathian, feeling the cold touch of fear washing over her. Her powers sparked and the vanity mirror on her table cracked, making her flinch. "You're not real. You're a vision."

"Oh, I'm _real,"_ responded Tara, fervently. She stood up and leaned towards the empath, brandishing her knife menacingly. "I killed him. I killed him and now I'm here for you."

"No," Raven replied, shaking her head vehemently. She blinked repeatedly but the girl was still there no matter how hard she tried to make her go away. She pinched her leg with her fingers. Nothing. She said her mantra silently. Still the girl crept towards her. Raven scuttled backwards away from her, towards the edge of the bed. "You killed him...you killed George?"

"Yes, I killed him," laughed Tara, looking at her blood-stained hands manically. "Who cares about him though? _You_ certainly don't. You've moved on. You're with that other guy now. The one whose remarkably..."

Tara paused and then grinned for effect, bearing all of her white teeth. They glowed in the darkness and Raven shuddered.

"...green."

"NO!" screamed Raven, her eyes suddenly glowing red. Her voice growled in the darkness. "You stay _away_ from him."

"Oh dear. Did I touch a nerve? I'm so sorry," cackled the blonde, arching towards her on all fours ominously. The knife was still firmly in her hand. "But I _will_ get him. I'll take him away from you. I'll take everything away from you, just like you did for me. I'll get you locked away for being crazy. For being insane. A padded cell for one! All white and cosy."

Raven felt the rage starting to take over her body. She couldn't let her take Garfield too. She wouldn't allow it to happen. The red vision was firmly in place and her hands were crackling with black energy. "Powers..."

"What _powers_?" queried Tara, cocking her head to one side. She grabbed hold of Raven's hand. Her grip was so tight, the empath was fearful that she was going to break her wrist. "These? These can't hurt me...Rae."

"What did you call me?" snarled the empath, looking down. The grip on her wrist was tightening and she could feel her bones creaking and crunching beneath the woman's fingers.

"Rae? Little Rae-Rae? That's what he calls you isn't it? His radiant Raven?" mocked Tara, raising her knife upwards slowly. "I wonder what he'll say when he finds you all dead and bloodied? How he'll scream for mercy when I rip out his—"

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Raven loudly; her voice deepening, her eyes replaced with four red ones. Her demon blood pulsed through her veins and her hands grew black with power. Despite her weakened state she launched at the blonde, knocking the knife out of her hands. Tara wrestled her round and pinned her to the floor, wrapping her hands around the empath's slender neck and squeezing tightly again. Her strength was inhuman. Raven kicked her feet beneath her and twisted about wildly, trying to escape her grasp.

"Your powers mean _nothing,_ " spat the young woman, her bloodied hair hanging down into the empath's face. Raven's hands stretched towards the face, wanting to scratch the blue eyes out of their sockets. "He's already dead. Accept it."

"Never," growled the half-demon, twisting hard and throwing Tara against the wall. The vanity mirror that had earlier cracked fell down and smashed into a million pieces. Raven turned to look at it as the door flew open.

"Raven!" shouted Beast Boy, running into the room with the other three Titans right behind him. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"B-be...careful," squeaked Raven, before she blacked out onto the floor in a heap, banging her head on the cold ground. The changeling stood in his fighting stance and scanned the room cautiously. No one there. He turned to look at Robin, who looked back at him equally confused. Raven's usually neat room was a mess; there were glass shards everywhere, the wall was cracked, the bedsheets were strewn, and in the middle of it all was Raven in a heap. But no one was there. The team stood frozen for a moment, feeling terrified at what they had just witnessed.

"I-I just went to get a glass of water," stammered Beast Boy breaking the silence. He looked puzzled as he turned to the others. "Guys?"

"What...," began Starfire, slowly. She swallowed and floated above the scene before her. "What did friend Raven do?"

"Dunno. But she smashed the room up pretty badly," stated Cyborg, raising his eyebrows. He was using his arm to scan the space and finding nothing. "Looks like she was bein' attacked...but there ain't anyone here."

"Strange," added the boy wonder, turning to look at the crack in the wall. He crouched down and ran his hand along the wallpaper slowly. "It's like someone...or something...was thrown against this wall in some kind of fight."

Beast Boy was already at Raven's side lifting her gently up out of the centre of the broken glass. He held her closely to him, feeling her heart still beating gently next to his own. He was relieved to see she wasn't hurt, but she felt cold in his arms. He looked over at Robin. "Rob, what are we going to do? She still not well, she needs to get back to bed but her room is trashed."

"Back to the medbay," stated Cyborg, sighing. "I'd better go and make a bed up."

"No, it's fine, dude. She can have my room," stated the shapeshifter, suddenly. "I'll sleep in the chair, keep an eye on her. I know she doesn't want to go back to the medbay, she hated it there."

"Friend Beast Boy," stated Starfire, her eyes shining with tears. She tilted her head and smiled sweetly at the young man. "You would give up your quarters for our friend?"

"Of course," stated Garfield, smiling back at the Tameranean. "She needs it more than I do. It's just a room, Star."

"Beast Boy," started Robin, softly walking over and placing his hand over the changeling's shoulder. "It's dangerous. She could go crazy like that again. We don't know what happened here...but it looks as though she had some kind of waking dream. What if she snaps and hurts you?"

"Raven wouldn't hurt me, dude," stated the young man, with confidence. "I don't believe that she would. Anyway, it's a risk I'm happy to take. I'll sit with her, make sure she's safe until she wakes up and we can work out what the hell happened here."

"B," said Cyborg, checking Raven over as he was talking. "Robin's right, she could seriously do you damage, man. Don't you think she'd be best in isolation? Just for tonight?"

Beast Boy shook his head, vehemently. "I don't think so. From what she told me, she hated it in there. She wanted to have her own space; you all know it normally helps her to control her powers and stuff. Look, I know what you all probably think this looks like, but I'm just saying what I think she would want. She's entitled to that much, right guys? She's still a Titan after all."

"We know that you're trying to help her," smiled Robin, reassuringly. "We're just worried about _your_ safety."

"Hey, if anything goes wrong I'll back out of there super quickly and come get you guys, I promise," responded the green man, smiling back. "I'm not trying to get myself hurt. But looking after her recently...well, I just know how difficult this has all been for her. I wouldn't want her to think that we're afraid of her somehow...like she's some kind of danger to us? That would make her feel so much worse. Even push her over the edge. Maybe there's like...a good explanation for what happened tonight? Don't we owe it to her to find that out first?"

"Yeah, I guess the little dude is right," agreed the cybernetic man, brushing some glass out of Raven's hair absently. He straightened up and looked at the leader. "She did hate being in that medbay, and we don't know but someone attacked her and escaped somehow."

"Friend Raven is not in the habit of destroying things unnecessarily," conceded Starfire, agreeing with the others. "Perhaps once she explains in the morrow we can understand what happened and assist her in some way."

The boy wonder stared at the other three Titans who were looking at him imploringly. Something in his gut told him that there was more to this than met the eye, but he agreed with their sentiments. He sighed. "It may be against my better judgement, but I'll go with you guys on this one. Beast Boy, take her to your room and make her comfortable. Keep a watch tonight and anything happens you come and get us, understand?"

"Understood, dude," replied the changeling, nodding. He looked at Raven's sleeping figure and felt relief in his chest. "I'll keep watch over her, I promise."

"Cy, run back the footage from the Tower from the past 24 hours. I want to know if there's any suspicious activity coming in or out of here," stated Robin, looking over at the metal man. "I also want readings from all the sensors, see if anything slipped by that we didn't recognise."

"Good idea, Rob," stated Cyborg, nodding and tapping some things into his arm. Bumblebee suddenly came flying to the door. She looked at the room around the doorframe and then stepped in gingerly.

"What the heck happened in here? Is she okay?"

"Where were you?" asked Robin, looking at her suspiciously. "Didn't you hear the crashes before?"

"I'm a heavy sleeper," shrugged the dark-haired woman, nonchalantly. "I actually woke up when I heard all your voices buzzing around. Sorry!"

Robin rolled his eyes, but he didn't look impressed. "We're going to have to work with the plan we have for now. Cy, you can fill Bee in shortly. Tomorrow morning, I want us to have a meeting and discuss the findings and what we're going to do moving forward. If she's having some kind of psychological issue, then we need Dr. Fernandes on the phone stat. We can't have the Tower trashed like this every single night. She may need more...specialised care whilst she recovers."

Beast Boy swallowed, knowing what that meant for the empath. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. The leader scanned the team and saw their recognition. "Let's hope we can sort this out. I promise you I'll do everything I can. We should try and get some rest, it looks like whatever happened here is over...for now."

"Agreed," smiled Starfire, holding Robin's arm gently. She looked towards Beast Boy and the limp body of her best friend. "Will you be okay with her, friend? I am happy to assist if you are tired."

"I'll be fine, Star, I promise," nodded Beast Boy, reassuringly. "I'll get her back to bed, she'll need to rest after all of this. See you guys in the morning, okay?"

He gently lifted her upwards, as if she weighed nothing. Carefully picking his way towards the door he headed down the corridor to his room, leaving the other four Titans looking after him.

"Where's he taking her?" asked Bee, rubbing her eye with her hand and giving a little yawn. "Medbay?"

"Nah, she'll stay in his room tonight. Rae's kinda funny about being in the medbay and we all think it's better she's got some space of her own without being surrounded by machines and cameras. It might set her powers off again," replied Cyborg, sensing the response this would receive from the woman. She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head. "He's not going to try anything, Bee."

"Friend Beast Boy is ever the gentleman," added Starfire, smiling. "He will keep her safe. She needs friends around her at the moment."

Bumblebee nodded and didn't try to jest for once. She looked around the room at the chaos that had been created and her wings fluttered a little. "Man, she really messed this room up."

"Yeah," agreed Robin, looking around himself and narrowing his eyes behind his mask. "When Raven's powers go haywire...well...let's just hope that she keeps calm for tonight. For Beast Boy's sake."

* * *

The changeling gently lowered his friend onto his bed and tucked her legs under the covers carefully. "There you go, Rae. Rest now."

He looked at her hands and noticed that she had a strange bruise across her wrist. He frowned a little and examined it more closely. There were dark finger shaped marks across her bones that looked deep. He glanced up towards her face sleeping peacefully, and felt concern seeping over him. What had happened to her? She'd seemed so peaceful and content a few hours earlier. This wasn't like Raven, to just go crazy like that. There had to be an explanation. Cursing, he realised he had left the chair in her room. He looked over to his computer desk and swung the chair on rollers across to be next to her sleeping frame.

Raven's eyes were fluttering back and forth, and she was mumbling something, a grimace on her face. He tuned his ears in and listened carefully.

"George..." she mumbled, tossing her head from side to side. "Dead. Can't be."

Garfield cocked his head. Where had he heard that name before? He shook his head, unable to place it for the moment. He gently reached for her shoulder, shaking her softly. "Raven, wake up."

"G-george," Raven muttered, almost inaudibly. "Where are you?"

The changeling noticed her speech was back to normal. How was that possible? Her healing must have been occurring much faster than they anticipated. That would explain the consistent tiredness. Strange, it was as though she was normal Raven again. He shook her again, very gently. "Rae. It's me, George isn't here."

"Dead," replied Raven, tears rolling down her cheek despite her closed eyes. "Killed him."

"Who killed him?" asked Garfield, his grip firmly on her shoulder. "Who killed George?"

"Tara," replied Raven, in a cracked voice. "Tara stabbed him. Too late to help."

"Oh, Rae," whispered Beast Boy, stroking her head with his free hand. "It's going to be okay, we'll work it out somehow."

The violet eyes fluttered open and immediately turned white. She shoved the changeling away with so much force that he fell backwards off the chair. He scrambled back to his feet, heart pounding in his chest. Raven was stood up on his bed with her eyes glowing white and her hands encased in her signature black aura. Her hair was wildly waving around her face, engulfed by her demon power.

"Raven, it's me," said the shapeshifter, pushing the chair out of the way and walking towards her calmly with his hands up. He kept his voice even and low. "It's Garfield. Calm down."

Her eyes returned to normal at the mention of his name and she sank to her knees. "G-gar? You're alive?"

"I'm right here, Rae," he replied, finding her hands. He gave them a squeeze and then embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm right here, and I'm fine. We're all okay. You're okay."

She burst into tears, abruptly. The chair flew across the room and skidded to a halt before hitting the door. Several of Beast Boy's old comics flew around the pairs' head as Raven grasped hold of the changeling's shirt between her fingers, still sobbing. He soothed her, rubbing her back gently as she calmed down.

"Everything's fine," he whispered gently, feeling her heart hammering against his chest. "You just need to calm down, Rae. Please."

"She was here," whispered the empath, in her normal voice. "How...how could she be here?"

"Raven, who was here?" replied Beast Boy, pushing her back away from him and looking in her teary eyes. She sniffed as he pushed her chin up to meet his gaze. "Who hurt you?"

"T-tara," stammered Raven, feeling a few more tears leak out. "She's here."

"I don't know who you're talking about," whispered the shapeshifter, managing to manoeuvre her back into the bed so she was in a restful position. "But your voice...it's normal again."

"It's...yes. I can speak," whispered the empath, suddenly realising it herself. She reached for her throat with her pale hand and then gave a little gasp. "It's...there again?"

Beast Boy nodded, still holding her other hand tightly. He gave a little smile, despite the severe nature of the situation. She looked at him and returned the nod, sniffing a little. She looked around the room, aware of her surroundings at last. "Where am I?"

"You're in my room," replied the shapeshifter, sitting on the bed next to her and releasing her hand gently. "I brought you in here. It was either this or the medbay, but we all thought you'd prefer a proper space to sleep. Sorry it's not your room but...well, you made a mess of it."

Raven's eyes widened as it dawned on her what had happened, and she wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand. "Oh."

"Robin is _really_ worried, Rae," added the shapeshifter, rubbing the back of his neck. "It took a lot to get him to agree not to put you straight back into obs. Your powers must have gone...out of control."

"Yes," responded the Azarathian, her normal calm tone apparent. "They're fine now. But...I haven't been myself."

"No," conceded the young man, softly. He looked down. "You haven't."

"I'm sorry, if I hurt you before," said Raven, softly. Beast Boy looked back up towards her, a genuine smile on his face.

"You didn't hurt me, you worried me," he confirmed, green eyes fixed on hers. He paused and took a deep breath, knowing he had to ask her a difficult question. "Raven, who is George? Who is Tara? What's going on?"

"It's...difficult to explain," replied the empath, sitting herself cross-legged. She felt exhaustion coursing all over her body, but she fought it as hard as she could. "I'm so tired Gar, I don't know if I can tell you everything tonight. When I was in the coma I was...somewhere else. Somewhere different. George and Tara were people there."

Garfield's eyes widened at this realisation. "You were somewhere else? A dream world?"

"I don't know," admitted Raven, sighing and looking down at her hands. "It felt so real. I was me, but another version of me."

"No powers?"

"No," Raven answered, shaking her head. She felt a sadness suddenly. "I was...normal."

"What do you mean?"

"A normal girl with a normal job. A normal life. Normal feelings, friends. Normal," she finished, shrugging and looking down. She missed all her friends there, her reality. The grief piled onto her, despite her efforts to push it away. Beast Boy reached out and touched her hand gently.

"Raven you _are_ normal," he insisted, causing her to look up at him slowly. "You're exactly as you should be. You're you. You're special."

"No, I'm a half-demon," she replied, feeling the tears pricking her eyes again, the exhaustion threatening to make her pass out. But she couldn't stop herself. She brought her hands up to cover her tired eyes. "Trigon's daughter. A freak. Never destined to find happiness."

"That's _not_ true," replied Garfield, vehemently. "You might not have the life that the other you did, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy."

Raven lowered her hands and looked down again. Her energy was spent. "I will tell you more tomorrow. But I need to rest."

"Of course," replied the changeling, picking his chair up. One of the legs had snapped off, and it collapsed in his hands. He pulled a face. "Uh oh."

"Don't worry," stated Raven, shifting over the bed. "You can lie up here. You must be tired."

"Rae...I'm not sure that's a good idea," stated the changeling softly. "I can just crash on the floor."

"I promise I won't attack you," yawned Raven, lying back on the pillows. She was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. "Again."

Garfield snorted at her joke and lay back on the pillow next to her. There was a metre between them, and she had turned away from him. Her breathing had already become even again as she fell asleep easily. He looked up at the ceiling deep in thought.

How might that feel? Another world. One where he wasn't green. Didn't have powers. Had a normal life. A normal job. A wife. Children. He could see why Raven was so conflicted. That which was never a consideration to them before was all there for her to experience. He glanced at her again and felt that familiar feeling washing over his chest. He needed to protect her, no matter what. He'd get her through this. Whoever that Tara was, she wouldn't be sneaking up on Raven again tonight. He closed his eyes and let himself doze lightly, ears on edge for any sound.


	16. Chapter 16 - Green and Purple

**Author's note:** **Happy New Year to all of you, I hope you've had a good time. Sorry for my lack of posting – whilst I have been working hard on my story I've had to intersperse it with family related things. A New Year's reward for you though, this is an extra special BBRae chapter ;) I hope you enjoy, as always feel free to R &R and enjoy. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them all. I'm not going to comment on the storyline at the moment, you'll just have to watch the fun unfold. **

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own the Teen Titans, Billy Joel songs or any of the DC Universe in general.**

 **Chapter sixteen – Green and Purple**

* * *

Raven's dreams were disturbed all night by strange flickering lights that emitted a strobe effect. Between the flashes were memories from the other world, her and George laughing together, her and George at the vista, her and George at the bar, her and George at her apartment, her and George kissing...

The empath's eyes flickered open again and for a moment she saw Tara standing in front of her, scowling. Inexplicably, the blonde melted away as her eyes opened fully and she blinked. Just a hallucination. Where was she again? Oh, that's right. Beast Boy's room. The memory of what had happened last night seeped into her again. Her heart was hammering in her chest at all of the memories of George, and the two realities blurred into one for a moment. She missed him so much, yet he was never truly real. Or was he? If Tara was real, did that mean...George was? Was he truly dead? Or had he ever existed in the first place? Raven wiped a bead of sweat from her hairline and shifted about on the bed. She twisted her head around to see Beast Boy lying a metre away from her at the other end of the bed, snoring softly. She felt reassured that she wasn't alone. Raven turned herself back over towards the window and sighed. She allowed herself a moment to remember the other young man with whom she'd grown close.

His blond hair...his blue eyes...the light dusting of freckles across his face. His sweet goofy teeth. His love of animals. He was gone, forever. Lost to her and possibly hadn't even existed to anyone else. No one could support her mourning him. She felt a tear work its way down her cheek. Then another. Then another. Before she knew it, the Azarathian was quietly grieving her lost love. Her chest ached. Her face was flushed. Realisation was hitting her and hard. She had been in love with George all along, but she wasn't able to save him. She had failed. What if she failed everyone else too? What if she was dangerous? A curse?

The changeling's nose twitched as he smelt the salty tears in the air and he began to come around blearily. His ear picked up the thrum of his friend's heartbeat and he opened his eyes and glanced over towards her. Raven's shoulders were shaking in silent sobs next to him. A few items were floating around her, but she seemed to be oblivious to their presence. He felt his heart twist at her sadness and his ears drooped a little. Had she had another bad dream? Had something frightened her? He knew he needed to press her a little, to make sure she was okay. To keep his promise to the other Titans.

"Rae?" he tried softly, touching her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The young woman's sobs ceased abruptly, and she stiffened beneath his hand. The objects dropped to the floor with light bumps. She twisted on the bed to face him, her lilac hair spilling out around her face. Her violet orbs were gloomy, her face tear-stained, her gem glinting in the half-light. "Gar?"

"You've been crying," he observed, forlornly. "More nightmares?"

Raven nodded slowly, wiping the lingering tears from her eyes. Suddenly she sat upright in the bed. Her vision was back. Beast Boy was clear as day to her, even in the dim light of the room. She blinked a few times to check, but it was real. Without thinking, she reached out instinctively towards the changeling's face. He was staring at her completely confused. She could see his green eyes examining her, perplexed as to her actions. But he didn't move away this time. He reached up and gently touched his hand to hers. She rubbed her thumb over his cheek and smiled.

"I can see you," she stated, a few more tears leaking out. The shapeshifter's face broke into a goofy smile as he realised her recovery had hit another goal. "My vision is back."

"Amazing news, dude!" exclaimed the changeling, informally. Raven didn't even have the heart to chide him for calling her 'dude', instead feeling happy that she was recovering so swiftly. "You'll be back to normal in no time."

Suddenly, Raven saw Tara standing behind Beast Boy in the gloom and she let out a small shriek and pointed. The changeling whipped around to look behind him but there was no one there. He turned back to Raven who looked as though she'd seen a ghost. Her lilac eyes met his own, which were filled with confusion. "Did you see her?"

"Whoa, whoa, there's no one here," responded Garfield, calmly. He looked at her panicked face and could hear her heartbeat had picked up pace. He lowered her hand down from its pointing position and lifted her chin to look at him. He repeated himself slowly. "There's no one here."

The empath's eyes darted back and forth a few times, but she realised that Beast Boy was telling the truth. There was no one in the quiet room except for the two of them. She must still be tired, half-asleep. Imagining things. She let out a breath, feeling relief washing over her. "I-I think I'm still tired."

"Hey, all this sleep is doing you good. Look at how much your body has healed," stated the shapeshifter, cheerfully. He glanced past her at his bedside clock briefly. "Maybe you should try and get some more rest, it's still like 1am."

"You're probably right," conceded Raven, nodding. She gave him a dry look and paused for effect, quirking her eyebrow at him. "I don't think I've ever said _that_ before."

"Ha _ha_ ," responded Beast Boy sarcastically. He lay himself back down into his previous position away from her and looked back up towards the ceiling. Raven pushed herself down again, but she felt uncomfortable. Her stomach was still churning from the sight of Tara appearing so close to him. The changeling looked towards her, tilting his head curiously. "You okay?"

"I'm...a little uncomfortable about going to back sleep," yawned Raven, realising how tired she still was. Her mind was fighting it, though. "I hate all these thoughts and visions. I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm scared you'll all vanish again when I close my eyes."

Garfield nodded understandingly then observed her for a while, trying to think about what to do. He had an idea. "Hey, at least you'll know I'm right here like this!"

He turned into a green cat and meowed at her. She smiled at him as he curled himself round in a circle before settling down next to her. He began to purr. It was strangely comforting, and she fussed his ear a little before turning back over. She could feel the warmth of the green cat purring behind her and it lulled her back to sleep, pushing memories of George far from her mind.

* * *

Time passed, and there were streaks of light beginning to tinge the sky. Raven awoke for a third time that night, yet everything seemed peaceful for a change. She blinked her eyes, remembering that her vision was better and felt a pang of happiness again. She looked at the clock by the bed. 5am. Shifting her weight slightly she could feel that the purring green cat had vanished. Slightly panicked at her realisation, she went to turn but realised she was pinned to the bed. Her eyes looked down and noticed an arm around her. She froze.

Peering over her shoulder, she saw that Beast Boy was fast asleep with his arm slung across her shoulder. He wasn't so close that his body was touching her, but the dead weight of his arm was making it difficult for her to move. She was unsure what to do. Part of her wanted to fire him across the room with her powers and give him a telling off. Yet part of her was comfortable with the contact. Following her strict childhood, she hadn't ever been allowed much physical contact growing up. But since defeating Trigon she had been experimenting and had found it to actually be quite a comfort to her human side. This was much to Starfire's glee, as she now enveloped her friend in a bone crushing hug at every chance she got. Raven rolled her eyes at this thought, and then refocused on the situation she was in. She didn't know what to do so she just lay there for a few moments, trying to work it out. Why did she always feel this comfortable around Beast Boy? She knew that she had strange feelings for him, but she'd always tried to push them away. Since her accident though...things had changed. She'd felt more of a connection with him. He was treating her differently too, she'd noticed. Sighing, she blinked again and looked back out of the window at the early morning rays. Could she ever truly be happy in this reality?

Beast Boy felt movement next to him and his eyes groggily opened again. All this lack of sleep was not suiting him one bit. He looked over and saw that Raven was lying next to him, just as she had been earlier that night. Then it hit him. His arm was around the empath. He immediately panicked, unsure what to do. He knew that she would be angry waking up to them being like this, but it was completely unintentional. Sometimes when he slept in animal form he would shift in the middle of the night and not realise it. He must have shifted back and moved over naturally, without realising what he was doing. He cringed inside, feeling his cheeks flush. He knew if he moved his arm she would know he was awake, so he needed to just be brave and face the music, whatever the consequence. He hoped that Raven would understand it was an honest mistake. He could feel her shifting next to him and took a deep breath. Time to take his beating like a hero.

"Raven, I'm so sorry," he whispered, feeling his throat growing tight with anxiety. "I didn't mean to...sometimes I shift back when I'm asleep. We can pretend this never happened, I'll move away, okay—"

The changeling had started to move his hand as he spoke, but the empath had reached up and gripped onto his wrist. He stopped in surprise, feeling the colour rising to his cheeks again. "Umm..."

"Don't," whispered Raven back, pulling his arm back onto her shoulder. "It's comforting. It makes me feel safe."

The shapeshifter was stunned, he had no answer to what was happening in this moment. His mouth opened and closed like a fish that was out of water. He was aware that his gut reaction to run from the room in fear. Ah, so _that_ was those feelings from before. He recognised them now. She was getting too close to him; it was feeling out of control again. Flight was kicking in. Self-preservation, the only way he knew how. He smiled to himself, noticing how far he had come. He needed to challenge these automatic responses if he was ever to truly know how he felt about her. He took another deep breath. 'Okay, here we go,' he thought to himself, bravely.

Shifting his body weight quickly he moved closer, so their bodies were curled up together. His new taller frame fitted around the empath's small one almost perfectly. He wrapped his arm around her waist more deeply and pulled her close to him. His head nestled in the crook of her neck, his cheek resting on her long lilac hair. Up close, she smelled even better than he could have imagined. In this moment, she felt like the home he hadn't had in so long. The changeling froze in his position, waiting for a response from the Azarathian.

Raven's eyes widened at the boldness of his actions. She felt his presence enveloping her own; his now broader frame pulling her close to him. Her heart began to pound in her throat. She couldn't push down the feelings that were forcing their way out of her. It felt right. Like this was how they were meant to be all along. She could sense his anxiety at letting himself be so vulnerable with her and closed her eyes. Reaching her hand slowly down to his she entwined their fingers and gave a gentle squeeze to reassure him. Garfield's eyes opened; he didn't realise he'd closed them so tightly in his fearful state. She was reciprocating. She knew what he had done, and she'd allowed it. Relief flooded over him. He couldn't believe what he was experiencing. His chest ached with the passion he'd held back from her since she woke up. Raven could feel the emotion pouring off him and it was nurturing her own. Opening her own eyes again, she noticed that his bed had raised at least three feet off the ground. She realised that her powers were taking over; but they were not being fed by the care she was feeling, instead the fear. She heard a little gasp from behind her and felt the changeling's breath tickling her neck. Her neck hair stood on end as he spoke gruffly.

"Raven, the bed..."

"I know," she replied, giving his hand another little reassuring squeeze. "I need to calm down...I've never done anything like this before."

"We can stop, it's okay," soothed Beast Boy, kindly. She felt such a strong emotion towards him in that moment that she couldn't yet name; he was always so considerate of her. She was such a difficult, complex person, but he accepted it without question. "I'll move back—"

"No, don't," pleaded the Azarathian again, willing her powers to quiet. As she experienced the thoughts of him letting go her anxiety pitched, causing several other items began to dance around them encased in black. "I want to do this. Help me calm down."

"Okay," responded Garfield, trying to come up with some kind of inspiration but falling flat. They lay there floating for a couple of breaths, neither daring to move. "What would help?"

"Oh, I don't know," responded the empath, dryly. Truthfully, she felt as lost as the changeling. She decided to try and lighten the mood. "How about a lullaby?"

Beast Boy laughed softly; it was like music to her ears on its own. She gave a little smile. "Sure, I could sing if you like."

"You'd really sing for me?" asked Raven, surprised for a moment. She didn't even know he _could_ sing. She vaguely remembered him getting a guitar a few years back, but she hadn't paid much attention to it back then. She felt him nodding against her neck and shivered a little again. She was intrigued. "Fine. Go on then."

The changeling paused. There was only really one song he could sing for her; the one he'd been singing all along. It would be strange without his guitar, but he would try. He took a deep breath and sang as softly as he could.

" _She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes,_

 _She can ruin your faith with her casual lies,_

 _And she only reveals what she wants you to see,_

 _She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me."_

Raven heard the gentle melody and at first felt soothed. Then it hit her. Like a ton of bricks. Those lyrics. That tune. That voice. The bed flew down in an instant, landing on the floor with a soft thud. It was followed by all the other items in the room one after another. She turned around in disbelief pushing him back and the shapeshifter stopped singing and looked at her in surprise. "R-rae?"

"It was you," she stated, feeling the two worlds knitting together all of a sudden. "That song. I heard it in the other world."

Beast Boy's eyes widened in shock before a little dopey smile lit his face. "No way. You could _actually_ hear me?"

"Yes, that song...it was following me around," stated Raven, nodding in a dreamlike way. Garfield was propped up on his elbow looking at her and Raven was turned onto her back staring at the ceiling, trying to work it all out. "I never realised it was you, but it was definitely that song. Every single day."

"Yeah, I used to come and sing to you," confessed the changeling, a little blush creeping across his face. He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, awkwardly. Raven could sense his embarrassment. "Every day. The Doc said it might help you to wake up."

"I can't believe it," replied the Azarathian, almost laughing. Her eyes were still firmly fixed upwards. "So, you were managing to pester me even in the other world."

"Hey," laughed Garfield, giving her a little poke. "I worked hard to get it right, you know."

They both chuckled lightly, followed by a little small silence between them as they digested what had transpired in the last few minutes. Raven's eyes twitched towards him, slowly.

"Why _that_ song?" asked the young woman, tilting her head and looking into his eyes. "I've never heard it before."

"Well, I guess," answered the changeling, blinking his eyes and looking away from her inquisitive glare. He wished he could shake the humiliation from his lips. "I...g-guess the lyrics kind of reminded me of you."

Raven gave a little smile at his sentiment, and then poked his arm playfully. "You're _embarrassed_."

"I didn't think we'd be having this conversation, or well...anything that's happened in the last five minutes," admitted the young man, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. "It's been a strange day."

"It's been a strange few months," conceded the empath, still smiling a little. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. Really looked at him. Suddenly there was a flash of light and she saw George in front of her. She blinked, and Garfield appeared again. He looked over at her and smiled, unaware of what she had just experienced. His green eyes landed on her; the long lashes, the emerald patterns, their almond shape. Another flash of light. Their eyes were the same. George and Garfield. Their eyes were the _same_. Impossible. Raven flickered her eyes repeatedly, feeling shock on her face. Their faces merged together in her mind. She could see George looking at her out of Garfield's face. She gasped a little, and the eyes changed to be filled with concern.

"Raven? Rae?" the two faces asked. Or were they one face now? She was completely confused. She raised an eyebrow and touched the face in front of her for the second time that evening. One of them was there, that was for sure. She closed her eyes and let herself breathe for a few moments before opening them again.

There before her eyes was...Garfield. Of course. George _wasn't_ real, but Garfield was. They were the same person all along. Somehow, her mind had merged the two of them together. She felt a tear leak out of her eye. He wasn't dead after all, he was right here in front of her.

"You...you're George," she managed, smiling at him. "It's you. It was you all along."

"What?" responded the young green man, feeling entirely jumbled at what was happening in this moment. "No, Raven it's me—"

"I know who you are, Gar," she responded, firmly. Her monotone voice was apparent again. "But you have to try to understand what I'm saying. The man from the dream world - George. He was you all along. I just didn't realise it until now."

"Rae, you aren't making any sense!" exclaimed the changeling, touching his hand to hers again and laughing. "I wasn't in your dream world, I was here."

"But you _were_ ," responded the empath, emphatically. "You were there, I just didn't realise it was you. My mind was playing tricks on me."

"Okay, okay," smiled the young man, still entirely lost in what Raven was saying. But she seemed to be relieved somehow, and that made him feel relieved in turn. He gave her a serious look, but there was a comical tint to his eyes. "If you say that I'm George then I believe you. I hope that dream world me was good to you though, or I'm going to have to kick some butt."

Raven gave a little laugh at the comment, then felt sadness again for a moment. She looked down and lowered her hand. "He was...lovely. You would have liked him."

" _Lovely_ , huh?" responded the shapeshifter, starting to feel a strange sense of jealousy at this dream world man. Realising how ridiculous that was, he pushed it to one side. Being Beast Boy, he couldn't resist one final tease though. "Sounds to me like you had a little crush on him!"

He could hear Raven's heart beat pick up pace, but she didn't look up. A blush was covering her face. She was smiling to herself as her eyes were filled with memories. "More than that actually."

"Huh?" responded Beast Boy, feeling confused. Raven had that strange look about her, just as she had that day of the accident. She looked up towards him, and her violet eyes were filled with something he couldn't name. But, once again, he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame and he couldn't look away. He kept his gaze trained on hers, feeling his animal instincts pricking up again. "What?"

Raven reached over towards him slowly. She wasn't afraid anymore, she hadn't been for some time. Her hand reached back up to his face and she placed her lips gently on his mouth. Garfield was shocked at the act, his heart beginning to throb in his chest so violently he thought it would explode. But he reciprocated a moment later, his hand finding her hair and pulling her closer to him. Her lips were warm. Her taste was just like her scent but stronger to him, and it was calling out to something primal inside. He grasped her closely, trying to show her how he felt without words. Raven's arms wrapped around him, her hands tangled in his green hair. Nothing exploded. Nothing moved. They were together in that moment as one being, and both felt complete for the first time. As they broke apart, Raven could still feel the hot press of his mouth on hers and touched her lips with her fingers. He was looking at her and panting; she could feel the desire radiating off him. She knew that it had unlocked something animalistic within him, as his eyes were different; pupils dilated, inhuman somehow. She smiled at him, the most genuine smile that she had ever given to the shapeshifter in her life. He smiled back at her, touching her face again with his hand and rubbing his thumb gently over her cheek, as she had done to him before. She nuzzled herself into him and looked over with half lidded eyes. His pupils dilated again, and she felt the resurgence in his longing for her.

Despite his emotions going crazy, Garfield had regained his breath a little and was trying to get some sense into his mind as he worked out what to say to her. "Raven, I—"

The blare of the alarms cut them both off from any further thoughts and feelings. The surprise of the sound made them jump apart as if they had been hit by lightning and stare up at the ceiling warily. Raven looked over at him startled. She blinked herself back into her normal calm state before she spoke.

"Go now, Beast Boy," she said, her face deadpan as usual. "Jump City needs you."

He nodded at her and scrambled from the bed to go and see what was happening. He reached the door but turned to look back at her again. He had a stupid grin on his face, and she could feel the warmth radiating off him, towards her. She couldn't help but break her superhero routine for a moment as she shot a little smile his way. As the red lights flashed above him, he glanced up and then remembered where he needed to be. He vanished down the corridor, in a green flash. Raven sat gazing at the space where he had been long after he had gone, and the alarms had stopped blaring.

The blue eyes still calmly watched from the shadows, narrowing slightly.


	17. Chapter 17 - Fantasy and Reality

**Author's note:** **Just felt the need to say how touched I am by all the kind and positive reviews and PMs I have received from you all, what a lovely way to start the New Year! I'm not answering any plot related questions for obvious reasons (don't want to spoil any surprises...) but stick with it folks, 'cause it really kicks off for the next couple of chapters. They will be an amalgamation of comic world and cartoon Teen Titans. I hope you enjoy, and as always please feel free to R &R, PM etc. It makes a huge difference :)**

 **Little fun fact:** **Did anyone notice that the last chapter was an homage to the comics where Raven and BB kiss? Take a little look at the pages online and you'll see!**

 **Disclaimers:** **I do not own Teen Titans, Batman or any of the DC comic book characters (or my shamelessly borrowed Bruce Almighty joke!)**

* * *

 **Chapter seventeen – Fantasy and Reality**

Beast Boy made it to ops in one piece, his heart still thrumming in his chest from what had just occurred. He self-consciously wiped his hand across his lips, as if wiping any evidence away from the Titan's prying eyes. He needn't have worried, everyone looked distracted, their expressions full of concern. All four figures stood at the large screen as he ran over to them.

"Guys, what's going on?" questioned the changeling, peering at the monitor. His eyes widened at the scene of chaos that was occurring in the city at that moment. "Robin, what's happened?"

Robin was tapping away on a keyboard, but briefly glanced towards Garfield sighing deeply. "Two new villains on our patch it seems. The computer is identifying them from the database as Shrapnel and Firefly. I've never heard of either of them, but it would seem that they are known to Bruce."

"What have they done to the city?" squeaked Bumblebee, fluttering her wings as she levitated off the ground. "There's fire _everywhere_."

"I'm afraid so," conceded the boy wonder, placing his hand on his chin. "Firefly has a love of pyrotechnics, so no surprise there. Interesting that these two have teamed up, I wonder what they're after."

Beast Boy pointed at the screen. "Dude, _now_ I remember. Shrapnel, I've heard of him before. The Doom Patrol had dealings with him once. He escaped though. It sounded like he was a real handful."

Cyborg nodded towards the screen. "Certainly, looks that way, man. They're destroyin' everythin' in sight. What's the plan, Rob?"

"Perhaps we should show them what happens to those who destroy our city," snarled the Tameranean angrily, her eyes glowing green. "Show them how the blowing up feels when turned on them."

"Whilst I like that plan, Star," smiled Robin, placing a hand onto her orange shoulder gently. "I don't like going in blind against two villains we don't know. This could be a trap or anything. We need to be careful."

"Wait...if these guys haven't run together before," Cyborg said, working it out in his mind. "There's gotta be a reason that they're doing this. Are they after something in the city?"

"Hard to say," responded the dark-haired man, shrugging. "I guess we'll just have to go down there and find out what they're up to. But I'll make a call to Bruce on the way, make sure we've got some back up if it all goes wrong. He may know some weak points that we can exploit."

"You guys need my help," said the changeling suddenly, causing all four Titans to turn and look at him. "This is way too dangerous for just four of you."

"But, friend Raven needs the looking after," stated Starfire, in a concerned tone as her glowing green eyes receded revealing her jade ones. "We cannot leave her in this state."

"She's awake and seems a little better, but I hear you, Star. So...Robin?" said Beast Boy, looking towards their leader. Garfield felt genuinely unsure. Starfire had a point, Raven did need protecting. But what if he let his friends go without him and something bad happened to them. "What do we do?"

The boy wonder took a deep breath. This was the side of leadership that he loathed. How was _he_ meant to make such a difficult decision? He shook his head. "Let's go speak to Raven. If nothing else, we make this decision as a team. That's what we are, that's what we do."

"Right on," replied Cyborg, holding out his fist for a bump. Robin returned it with a small smile. Beast Boy was close behind, and Bee flew over landing a bump on the top of his fist. Starfire looked confused and then slapped his hand and grinned. The metal man laughed. "Let's go see our Raven."

* * *

For the first time in what felt like forever, Raven had taken a moment to meditate following the events that had occurred the previous evening. Beast Boy's room was surprisingly peaceful, and the early morning rays were soothing her. She was floating cross-legged over the bedsheets, a few inches above them. The tiredness was subsiding; she wondered if that was partially due to the fact her recovery had reached a plateau. She felt fatigued and drained of her powers, but generally the best that she had done in a while. A blush came over her cheeks as she realised that this was probably due to this morning's antics, at least in part.

She took another deep breath and repeated her mantra, just as she had done since she was a small child. " _Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."_

The door released with a whoosh, and she opened her eyes to see all of her friends piling into the room. Confusion lined her face as she gently levitated back down onto the green bedspread. "I know you've all been keen on looking after me, but this is ridiculous."

"RAVEN!" shrieked Starfire, rushing over to give her a huge hug. "You are speaking normally again! Oh, thanks be to Tameran, my little _k'nofka_!"

Raven returned Starfire's hug gladly, her hands wrapping round the princess' red hair softly. "Thanks, Star. That's not all. My vision's back too."

"Amazin' news, little lady!" chipped in the cybernetic man, running over and patting her on the head. "You're gettin' back to yourself fast. We always knew you were our little fighter."

Raven blushed slightly at his words and gave a smile. "Thanks, Cy."

"Glad to see you up and about, girl," smiled Bumblebee, floating behind Robin and Beast Boy. She gave her a thumbs-up and a wink. "You'll be back to it in no time."

"I hope so," replied Raven, calmly. She released her arms from the Tameranean and Star floated backwards, revealing a huge grin all over her pretty face. "I couldn't have got here without your help. Thank you all...friends."

"Hey, we're more than friends, we're family, remember?" stated Robin, walking over and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "We need you back with us, and soon. Which brings us to why we're here to see you."

The leader paused and looked back towards the other Titans who had slowly moved back to give him space and were nodding encouragingly. Raven looked enquiringly at their leader and rolled onto her knees. "Robin? What's happened?"

"There are two new criminals in Jump, going by the names of Shrapnel and Firefly. They're tearing up the city as we speak; we need to go down and sort it all out. We're cautious because we're not sure what they're capable of. We really could use all hands-on deck, but we aren't sure whether it's safe for you to be left alone or not. If we leave someone with you we're one down, if we all go then-"

"I'm left unprotected and therefore vulnerable to attack," interrupted Raven, rubbing her temples with her fingers in a circular motion. She sighed. "That about cover it?"

"Yeah, that'd be about right," nodded Robin, moving back away from her and standing up straight. "What do you think?"

"You're asking me?" replied Raven in surprise, ceasing her massaging and looking up at the boy wonder with wide eyes. He nodded and then gave her a small smile.

"You're part of this team, right? Then you get to help make the decisions."

Raven stopped, feeling the pressure of the choice before her weighing on her shoulders. She looked over at the other Titans one by one. Bumblebee was looking at her anxiously, her wings flittering wildly and her hair pointing up. Cyborg was biting his lip and fiddling with his arm absently. Starfire had her hands clasped together covering her mouth, her pretty jade eyes downturned in concern. Then her eyes fell on the changeling. He looked at her in a way that saw into her soul. He was conflicted, she could feel it pouring off him like a fountain. She knew he would want to stay with her, but he also would want to support the team. The empath couldn't blame him; realistically, she would be feeling exactly the same were their roles reversed. She gave him a reassuring smile which he returned. It was like their little secret language. She looked back towards their leader.

"Okay, well the best course of action thinking logically, is to put me somewhere safe in the tower and for you to all go deal with the threat full force. That way I'm as safe as I can be, and you are all able to work together to resolve the new conflict," stated Raven, in her monotone drawl. "There is no point in someone staying here with me now I am reasonably recovered, but it can't hurt to put precautions in place just in case. I'm not back to full strength yet and my powers are unpredictable in this state."

"Yes. Speaking of which, we need to talk about what happened last night," diverted Robin suddenly, running his hand through his hair. He looked at the empath grimly. "I haven't forgotten. But for now, I think you're right. We could lock you in the medbay with the sensors and cameras running. That way you can also monitor the tower. It's not much but it's all we can organise at such short notice."

"Don't worry, I have sensors of my own," responded the Azarathian, tapping her head gently. "But every little will help. Speaking of senses, I can feel the panic pouring over me from the city like a tidal wave. You should go. Now. All of you."

Her eyes landed on Beast Boy as she spoke her last statement. He felt a tightness across his chest. Panic. He swallowed. "Will you be okay, Rae?"

"I'll try my best," responded the empath, fairly cheerful. But she didn't sound convinced and the others didn't look it either. They were all aware it felt too soon to leave her like this; it wasn't that long ago the half-demon was comatose. Raven tried to reassure them. "It's all we can do. Guys, the city needs you more than I do right now. I think I can walk down to the medbay, Cy, will you come with me and lock me in?"

"Alright, little lady," responded Cyborg, running to her side and helping her out of the bed gently. He supported her arm as they walked down the corridor. Raven stopped and turned back towards them.

"Be careful...please."

The other three Titans nodded towards her as she shuffled away and out of sight. Robin immediately turned back to them.

"Right guys, you three can all fly so let's get downtown right now. Cy will follow us in the T-Car once he's done here and I'll follow you straight down on the R-cycle. You need to be _alert_ guys. Don't forget that none of us are aware what these two really want. All we can do right now is to try and contain it and put them down. We'll ask questions later. Like Raven said, we need to be careful. No heroics, no rash actions. Anything strange, radio to everyone else. See you down there. Titans, go!"

* * *

Cyborg helped Raven gently into a sitting position on the medical bay bed and then turned to the computer. He tapped a few keys expertly and then turned his head back towards her. The empath was staring blankly at the wall, unmoving.

"Alright Rae, we're all good here," began the cybernetic man. "Sensors, scanners and cameras are active and all on screen for you. Any problems you can give us a shout on your communicator, I've put it here next to the keyboard for you, okay?"

"I should be going with you," stated the Azarathian, quietly. She felt the hopelessness washing over her. "I should be going too."

"You can't be doin' that, little lady," responded Cy, walking over to her and sitting down on the bed. "We just got you back, we can't be losin' you again already."

"Cy," replied Raven, her eyes filling with tears as she turned to look at him. "I'm...I'm scared. I don't know my own mind. I'm trying to be brave but..."

She trailed off and looked down at her hands. "I've never trusted myself less than in this moment. What happened last night...something's wrong. I'm dangerous."

"Rae," said Cyborg, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his tin chest, allowing a few tears out. "I've known you a long time, girl. You're like a sister to me, and I'd do anything for you. If there's one thing I know, it's that you just gotta trust yourself. You have the best instincts of any of us. You're smart. You're quick. You're logical. If you're telling me something is off, then I believe you. But right now, you gotta trust yourself to know that whatever is gonna happen you will resolve it. You will deal with it. And if you can't..."

The metal man paused and pointed at the desk. "...you call me on that, and I'll be right back. We all love you, Raven. We'll be there for you."

"I know," smiled the young woman, touching her hand to his chest and wiping her tears away. "Thank you. You'd better go, they need you."

Cyborg nodded and gave her a final squeeze. "You be careful too, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," said Raven dryly, with a mock salute. Cyborg gave a small laugh and ruffled her hair playfully. Raven gave him a glare but was smiling beneath it. He stood up and gave a stretch. He cracked his neck from side to side, then grinned.

"Right, time to kick butt. Be back in time for pizza," stated the cybernetic man, giving her a wink. "You're buying."

"Sure. If you all come back unscathed I'll even buy ice cream," stated the empath, sarcastically. Her face softened. "Go now. Be safe."

With one final smile he left the room, the door making a swish behind him. A keypad beeped behind the metal. The locking mechanism on the doors clicked, the sound making Raven jump slightly. She sighed and looked towards the monitor. In her haste she had forgotten to pick up anything to do. She ambled over to the desk and watched Cyborg hurrying down to the garage and jumping into the T-Car before driving off at super speed to try and catch up with the others. The tower fell silent. Raven's eyes scanned the screens and sensors for movement. She couldn't see anything. Sighing again she pushed herself away from the desk and walked back towards the bed. Tiredness was starting to creep over her again. She decided to get into bed and try to make herself comfortable. The medical bay bed was adequate at best, but it would have to do. She allowed herself a few moments to drift back to where she was an hour ago, lying in Beast Boy's room with the changeling's arms wrapped around her. Comfort warmed her chest. She allowed herself a small smile before she let sleep take her again.

* * *

The three airborne Titans were flying in fast towards the horrific scene that was taking place in the city. Screaming and scalding flesh was in the air, and it made the changeling gag at the realisation of what he was inhaling. Fires were everywhere; in tower blocks, across the road and down alleyways. The civilians were mostly gone, with a few still trying to escape the flames that were threatening to engulf them. There, in the middle, were two figures wreaking havoc on everything in sight. There were crashes as Shrapnel launched himself through buildings and Firefly burned them from the inside out, cackling to himself. Starfire halted, floating in the air with both Bee and a green falcon hovering at her side. She grabbed her communicator.

"Robin, we have located the foes," she stated, her eyes starting to glow an ominous green. "Please advise as to your location and orders!"

"Star, I'm almost there, just on your right," came the response through the screen. The three Titans turned to see the R-Cycle picking its way through the destroyed streets and towards them. "Bruce is looking into it for us. In the meantime, engage targets with ranged attacks only until I am in position. Go!"

"I shall use my starbolts,' stated the Tameranean placing her communicator away, her hands glowing green. "Bumblebee, you are on standby with electrical blasts to support me. Beast Boy create a diversion."

The green falcon cawed and swooped down towards the top of a building. Landing on the roof, he checked over the edge. There were no civilians in sight. Turning into a green T-Rex he let out a roar and swung his tail across hard onto a concrete block, sending it flying over the edge and towards the villainous duo. Shrapnel looked up and leapt towards the concrete chunk, projecting an explosive burst of shrapnel shards towards it, and shattering it into a million pieces. He landed with agile expertise next to his comrade and straightened up, looking up towards the roof. Firefly gave a grin of triumph.

As they were distracted, Starfire took her chance to rain down green fury upon the pair, with Bee firing her electrical blasts between flurries. The duo both dodged at the last moment, scattering down separate streets to escape the torrent. Bumblebee was after Firefly in a moment and Star took off after Shrapnel as he darted down the road at an explosive speed. "Robin, they are on the move and have split up! Friend Bumblebee is after Firefly and I am pursuing Shrapnel as quickly as possible. Advise?"

"I'm with you Star, Beast Boy follow Bumblebee and Firefly quickly," came the response, and the R-Cycle made a squeal as it changed direction.

"Got it," came the voice of the changeling, followed by another squawk as he shot off after the dark-haired woman. Robin's voice came back down the line, sounding urgent.

"Cy, please advise as to your position," shouted the leader, above the roars of his bike. The cybernetic man's voice responded in an instant.

"I'm a couple of minutes out from your location, Rob," stated Cyborg, swerving around a pile of burning rubble. "Where you want me to go?"

"Go with Bee and Beast Boy," stated the young man, making a quick decision. "You may need to contain those flames from hurting anyone. Keep us in the loop."

"You got it, boss," replied Cy, turning the wheel towards the green and yellow dots on his car's infotainment screen. "Same goes for you, just holler if you need help."

Starfire was almost closing the gap between herself and the metahuman she was trailing. Her eyes glowed green again and she blasted a beam from them down towards him. He dodged a few of the blasts but was hit by one, which sent him skidding to a halt in a heap on the floor. Starfire descended and hovered, readying two starbolts and pointing them towards him as a warning.

"Shrapnel, you are trespassing in our city, we kindly ask you to stand down," stated the princess, her hair blowing back in the wind. "If you refuse then we will take you down with force."

The metallic man stood to his feet, and immediately took a fighting stance. He remained silent. Starfire knew that he wasn't likely to acquiesce to her demands. She landed and mirrored his stance as the R-Cycle skidded to a halt next to her and Robin launched himself to her side, landing gracefully.

"He does not wish to negotiate," stated Star, glancing briefly at her boyfriend. Robin shook his head and pulled out his staff.

"Why am I not surprised," he stated, turning his face towards their opponent.

* * *

Bumblebee whizzed through the alleyways, keeping her eyes on Firefly as best she could. She was catching up when all of a sudden, he leapt up in the air and pushed off from one of the alley walls. There was a splutter, and a jetpack came to life in his suit, sending him flying forwards at a high speed and away from the young woman. Bee rolled her eyes.

"Fantastic," she stated, sardonically. She pulled her communicator out. "BB, great news. He has a _jetpack_. I'm on his tail, keep up!"

A green falcon swooped above the buildings before shifting in a flash, and the changeling landed on a high roof with a soft thud. Shifting to a cheetah he ran across the buildings, leaping across between the concrete slabs with ease. He continually glanced down towards the alleyways and eventually saw Bee hot on the heels of their jetpacking friend. He needed to time this just right. With a sprint then a huge leap, the shapeshifter launched at full cheetah pace towards Firefly; plummeting down towards him at a high speed. At the last moment he shifted to a hippo, crushing the suited villain beneath his weight and crashing him down through the tarmac beneath them. Bee halted in the sky and flew down speedily, readying her electrical blast. The green hippo shifted back to a human, and BB backed up quickly out of the line of fire, looking to Bumblebee and nodding. She nodded back as their eyes drifted back to the floored criminal. Firefly was stirring slightly, but his wing on his suit was bent and the jetpack was ruined.

"Is he down?" questioned the young woman, uncertainly. There was a buzz from her readied blast and she leant towards Firefly cautiously. Beast Boy shrugged his shoulders, still feeling the adrenaline flowing through his veins.

"I've never fought this dude before, I have no idea," he stated, uncertainly. "Maybe we should subdue him somehow though, that suit looks dangerous. Find something to hold him whilst I keep him quiet."

Turning into a tiger he snarled and leapt onto the villain's back, turning him over with a deft paw to look at his face. The suit was crackling with electricity and malfunctioning, much to the changeling's relief. Firefly's eyes were half open, the man clearly in a state of semi-consciousness. Beast Boy pinned him down, growling in his face threateningly. Bumblebee looked around and noticed a lamppost that had been partially destroyed. She zipped over and pulled the fragment of metal towards the floored man, wrapping it across his body and bending it back as hard as she could. She pulled a small device from her suit and pressed a button. Out shot a curved piece of metal and a little welding flame lit up. As she fused the restraint tightly around Firefly, Beast Boy shifted back to his normal form and looked at her curiously.

"Where'd you get _that_ doohickey?"

"Oh, Cy gave it to me as a gift a couple of days ago. It's like a Swiss army knife but cooler," grinned Bee, finishing the job and kicking the villain over again so he groaned in pain. "Perfect. Let's call it in, BB."

"Guys," stated the changeling, breathing a little heavily. "Firefly is subdued, and knocked out cold. We've...put restraints on him. We're heading to your location now with him in tow. Cy, change course and assist the others."

"Gotcha, little dude," came the cybernetic man's voice over the air, and the tyres of the T-Car shrieked. "See you on the other side, guys."

Bumblebee gave a small smile, her face colouring upon hearing Cy's voice. The young man noticed this and gave her a toothy grin. He couldn't help himself. "You're blushing, Bee."

"Shut up," stated the young woman, adjusting her hair and putting the gadget back in her pocket. "Like _you're_ one to tease, green bean."

"Cy gave me a gift," mocked Beast Boy, mimicking her voice and fluttering his eyelids. "It's _so_ cool!"

"I said _shut up_ ," smirked Bumblebee, priming her electrical blast again and pointing it towards the changeling playfully. "There's still enough energy in my _other_ gadgets that will put down a mouthy animal like you."

"Ooh, touchy!" exclaimed the changeling, grinning at her. He waggled his tongue at her impishly. "She can dish it out, but she can't be on the receiving end of it!"

" _She_ is perfectly capable of both," replied Bee, unpriming her blast and walking towards the changeling, an equally mischievous grin on her face. "So, you had Raven in your room last night, huh? The two of you, all alone...together...in the moonlight."

"Alright, that's enough," responded BB, blushing furiously. Bumblebee grinned triumphantly, knowing she'd touched a nerve. Garfield was annoyed at himself for allowing that one to get to him. Realising that they'd probably wasted enough time, he hoisted Firefly up in the air and gave her a more subdued grin. "C'mon, _snarkpants_. We should probably get back to the others."

"Touchy, touchy," imitated Bee, placing a hand on her hip and rolling her eyes. "Fine. Shift to something that can carry this guy's heavy butt out of here, _loverboy_."

"Sure thing," responded the shapeshifter, shooting her a final cheeky glance and raising his eyebrow. "What's your blood type, by the way?"

The young woman's eyebrows lifted at the left field question. "It's B negative, why?"

"Strange. Because, I B positive that Cy will be asking you out later, _honey_!"

He shifted into a horse and whinnied with pleasure, as Bumblebee caught and loaded the villain up onto his back. She rolled her eyes and gave a little snicker.

"That was bad, even for you."

* * *

Robin flipped backwards, blocking the flying metal pieces with his staff as they flew towards his head. Sweat beaded on his brow, as he panted and turned towards Star.

"We really need backup, Star!" he shouted, as she threw some bolts towards the metallic man, dodging his attacks in the air. "Where are the others?"

No sooner had the boy wonder spoken but the T-Car shot around the corner and screeched to a halt next to them. Cy leaped out with his weapon already primed.

"Need a hand?" he grinned, waving his plasma cannon their way. His eyes suddenly changed from friendly to panicked. "Look out!"

The other two Titans turned just in time to see more projectiles headed their way, accompanied by a huge piece of debris that had been hurled towards the car. Star and Robin scattered either side. As Starfire landed she blasted the projectiles with her eyes and they dropped to the floor, smoking. Unfortunately, the large piece of concrete was headed towards the T-Car at some speed. Cyborg's face changed to anger.

"Not my baby!" he yelled furiously, aiming his cannon and firing at the block. It disintegrated into dust, showering him and the T-Car in fine particles. The metal man coughed as the powder hit him. "Oh man, that's gross!"

"He's not going down easy," admitted Robin, pushing himself back to his feet. Shrapnel was already heading in their direction, looking as though he was going to throw more their way. "Get ready."

Starfire's eyes glowed green again and she fired a beam towards him. Shrapnel dodged from side to side, evading her blasts expertly. The Tameranean growled in frustration. "He is very fast!"

"No kiddin', Star," agreed Cy, blasting out his cannon a few times towards the man. He nimbly leapt between the two rays. "This ain't working."

Robin reached to his belt and threw three projectiles down onto the floor which emitted a blinding white glow. Shrapnel stopped running and shielded his metal face as they shone. When the brightness died down, Robin leapt through the light, smashing his staff down on Shrapnel's head. He continued with a barrage of attacks, each of which was blocked with ease or avoided entirely. Robin landed, swirling his staff behind himself and breathing deeply. Shrapnel straightened and then brought his own fist towards the boy wonder with some force. Robin crossed his arms over his face to block the attack, but the sheer force of his opponent's super strength sent the young man bowling backwards and rolling face down on the tarmac.

"Robin!" shouted Starfire, desperately. Her fury exploded in emerald rays around her eyes. Her hands glowed green as she glowered at the metallic villain ominously. "YOU HURT ROBIN!"

Without another thought she shot forwards and engaged him in hand to hand combat. There was a tremendous clashing sound as their blows connected, each one's super strength matching the others. Starfire sent a kick spinning which connected with Shrapnel's head and sent him over. She screamed and leapt on top of him, hammering his head down into the ground.

Cyborg pulled Robin up off the ground and he rubbed his head groggily. "Ouch."

"Yeah, that looked like it hurt, bud," grinned the cybernetic man, turning his arm back into a cannon. "Star's in there but I don't know how much good she's doing. She's strong, but it's like this guy is indestructible or somethin'."

"He's not," replied Robin, shaking his head. "But he sure has a tough outer shell."

"Hey guys!" came a shout from behind them, as Bumblebee came flying in fast. A green horse was galloping behind her, with the trussed-up figure of Firefly on his back. "One down, one to go?"

"You got that right, Bee," replied Cy, turning back to the fight. "Star is buying us some time whilst we think up a game plan."

The green horse shifted back to Beast Boy, who hoisted the pyromaniac onto the pavement with little care. "So, what are you guys thinking?"

Robin rubbed his chin as Starfire was kicked back off Shrapnel and landed effortlessly before flying back at him with some force. "How about this..."

* * *

Raven yawned as she came back around from her power nap. It had only been about an hour since Cyborg left the tower, but she felt refreshed. Her head was feeling stronger with each passing moment. The escalation of her healing was increasing more and more as she felt better. She smiled and stretched her arms out. There was a beep from the computer screen, and the empath's head turned towards it. Jumping to her feet she scrambled over to the desk and clicked a few buttons. Cameras all looked quiet, no movement. Her eyes scanned from mini screen to mini screen but there was nothing. Sensors were going crazy though. Something was tripping them. But where?

Raven stood back from the monitors and took a deep breath. She repeated her mantra calmly. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

She reached out with her senses. She could feel someone there. Someone was in the tower. The same floor as her. The same area as her. The same room as her. Right behind her. The lilac eyes shot open and Raven turned around. Tara's blue eyes were level with her own. Raven shoved her back with as much force as she could muster. The maniacal young woman tumbled and then rolled back onto her feet. They were standing a few feet apart as Raven glared at her with white eyes. "You."

"Hello again," grinned the blonde, flicking her hair out of her face and straightening up to her full height. "Did you miss me?"

"Unfortunately," responded Raven, dryly. Her voice gave nothing away. "With my fists at least."

"How funny! There I was thinking you had no sense of humour. That you were all work and no play," laughed Tara, placing her hand on her hip. She was still coated in George's blood, Raven noticed. The knife was attached through a loop on her belt buckle. "But it's time for play now. Believe me, we're going to have a lot of _fun_ together."

"Oh, I believe you," stated Raven, placing her hands behind her back. She was reaching for the communicator that was behind her as subtly as she could. "But you aren't real. You're in my mind."

"I am most certainly, real," responded Tara, defiantly. She folded her arms and cocked her head to one side. "Were the bruises not enough to prove it to you?"

"What bruises?" stalled Raven, tapping the alert button on her communicator in the S.O.S. Morse code. It had gone through to Cyborg. She placed it back quickly, hoping that her assailant wouldn't notice. "You didn't bruise me."

"Oh, didn't I?" asked the blonde, gesturing to Raven's right arm. Raven brought her hand back around and sure enough there were the bruises across her wrist from her altercation with Tara the previous evening. Her eyes widened as she realised that she could see fingerprints there.

"How—"

"Exactly," cackled Tara, pointing towards her own temple with her fingers, like they were a gun. "You're going _loca_ , my dear."

"I am not crazy," growled Raven, clenching her fists. "This doesn't prove anything, that bruise could be a hallucination too. You're messing with my mind, Tara."

"True," responded the blonde, nodding solemnly. "But you _need_ me to be here. Otherwise you'll have to admit that you let your powers get out of control. That you almost hurt the team. Almost hurt your precious _Gar_."

"Don't," snarled Raven, trying to keep her cool and prevent her rage from escaping again. That was what Tara wanted. "You don't know what you're messing with."

"Oh, but I do!" laughed Tara, folding her arms and tapping her fingers against her skin. "The great Raven, fallen from grace. What will little Beastie think of you when he realises what you really are?"

"Garfield knows what I am; we've been friends and team mates for years. We've defeated demons that I have created many times. Don't flatter yourself to think you are any different," sneered Raven, sarcastically. She could feel her old fire returning to her, her vulnerability melting away. Rage was dangerously close but controlled. "You really believe that you can beat me?"

"I really do," smiled the young woman, pulling her knife out slowly from her belt buckle. "I believe I can beat you. Then your boyfriend. Then your best friend. Then your leader. Then your self-proclaimed brother. Then the little bee with the wings I so want to tear off."

"How...how do you know all this?" asked Raven, feeling frustration in her words. "How do you know so much about me? In the other world...none of these people existed. I wasn't a Titan. This doesn't make any sense."

"I've transferred worlds and I've been listening _very_ closely," countered Tara, but she looked a little surprised at Raven's words. The empath noticed her brief startled expression and persisted.

"How did you even get here?" questioned the Azarathian, her eyes returning to lilac again as she began to think. Cyborg's words were running through her mind. Trust your instincts. "How could you have travelled between worlds, even _if_ that other world was real?"

"When I killed George, I—" began the blonde, uncertainly. "I—"

"But George wasn't real," stated the empath, plainly. "I realised it this morning. George was my brain's manifestation of Beast Boy. That's why when he appeared I could hear Gar's song. That's why their eyes were the same. That was why my feelings for them were the same. So, if George _wasn't_ real, then..."

The violet haired woman paused, her eyes glowing white again. She raised her fists to a fighting stance as they glowed with her signature black aura.

"Neither are you."


	18. Chapter 18 - Truth and Lies

**Author's note:** **Thanks again for all the positive feedback on the story so far, you're all very sweet. I hope you enjoy the next instalment. Twists and turns coming your way! Again, this storyline amalgamates aspects from comics/cartoon plots.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Teen Titans or any of the characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter eighteen – Truth and Lies**

Starfire was bravely battling with Shrapnel, but she could feel herself tiring slightly. His attacks were hard and brutal. He didn't appear to be slowing down, much to the Tameranean's frustration. She blocked the oncoming flurry of punches and back-flipped away from the metallic man. She landed as projectiles headed for her face and she zapped with her eyes instinctively. As the shots vanished, Shrapnel was in her face again pummelling her with attacks.

"STARFIRE!" shouted Robin, from a distance. The redhead pulled back from her assailant and glanced towards the young man quickly. "Code Alpha, GO!"

Starfire nodded, understanding the manoeuvre from their extensive training. Without a moment's pause she took to the skies and disappeared, leaving Shrapnel looking confused. This was their opportunity, and the Titans unleashed their alpha-formation attack. Bee and Cyborg stood side by side, their weapons primed and firing in a specific rhythm so that the villain had to jump from side to side with all his agility to avoid being hit. Robin threw some birdarangs from his belt which landed at Shrapnel's feet and exploded, causing him to retreat backwards. The rogue flipped out of harm's way as the blasts from the cannons ceased. He eyed the three Titans who stood in front of him as the assault began from the skies. Down rained the green starbolts from behind the clouds towards his position. Again, he began to dodge expertly, throwing some projectiles up in the hope that they would hit the princess. However, as he couldn't see her exact position they vanished into the clouds bleakly. As his back was turned he didn't see a green cheetah running towards him at full pace. As it reached him it turned into a large ram and butted him hard sending him flying forwards and screeching across the pavement on his face.

"NOW!" shouted Robin loudly towards the clouds. Suddenly there was a green flash as Starfire pelted full pace down towards the earth. Her eyes blasted the villain into the floor and created a crater as she landed on top of him with full force. The explosion that sounded was almost deafening. As Beast Boy shifted back to human form he covered his ears; his sensitive hearing made the crash almost cripplingly painful. The earth shook for a moment then stilled, and dust rose from the crater portentously. The other four Titans ran towards the giant hole in the floor and looked over to see Star standing on top of Shrapnel's unmoving figure and grinning. Steam rose from her orange body, and her hair was a bit frazzled from the impact, but she looked satisfied that they'd managed to take the metallic man out at long last. Robin let out a long sigh of relief as he saw that she was safe. He ran his hand through his hair and gave her a huge smile. "Good job, Star."

She giggled and floated above the downed foe delicately. The boy wonder leapt down into the crater and whipped some heavy duty rope out from his belt. Trussing the villain up, he knew that whilst he was knocked out and they needed to get him into custody, so he could cause no more harm. He looked up towards the team and gave a thumbs-up. "Job well done Titans, let's get these two where they belong. I'll call it in."

Before Robin had fully finished his sentence, Cyborg suddenly reached to his bleeping communicator and pulled it out. It was making the S.O.S. signal loudly. He looked at it aghast. "Raven's in trouble."

No sooner had the cybernetic man spoken, but Robin's communicator also started to ring. Reeling from what the metal man had just said, Robin answered the call numbly, the speaker on so all the Titans could hear. "Bruce?"

"Get back to the Tower, _now_ ," stated the Dark Knight, his voice low and urgent. "This was all a distraction. They're after Raven."

Before anyone could say anything, Starfire shrieked and took to the skies immediately. Beast Boy was close behind, shifting to a green falcon and zipping away after the Tameranean. Robin looked aghast for a moment, as Cyborg leaped into the crater next to him and shook his shoulder gently. Robin blinked himself back into action. The metal man reached down and picked up the unconscious villain and launched him up onto the top next to Firefly. "Go now Rob, I'll get these dudes into the T-Car and drop them downtown on the way back."

"I'll give him a hand, birdy," agreed Bumblebee, hoisting Firefly onto her shoulder. "It'll be faster with two of us working together. Go, the others will need backup. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Thanks, you guys," muttered Robin, clambering out of the hole and running towards the R-Cycle. His adrenaline was pumping at the realisation that this had all been a ploy. But why were they after Raven? And who were _they_ anyway? He pulled his helmet down as the motorbike roared into life and zoomed away home as fast as he could, praying the others had got there in time.

* * *

Tara sneered, flicking her blonde hair from her face and placing her hands behind her back. "You're smarter than you look, demon."

Raven glowered at 'Tara', or whoever she was truly facing. Her hands were still encased in black aura, her powers violently racing through her system as she readied herself for what might come. "Who are you?"

"Anyone you want me to be," responded the young woman sarcastically, tilting her head to one side and giving an evil grin. "It really depends what has been going on in your head. Maybe if I looked like this..."

Suddenly, the girl became wavy around the edges and vanished as a mirage would. She reappeared looking exactly like the fallen Titan, Terra. It made Raven gasp slightly; she looked exactly as the young girl had done all those years ago, down to the creases in her outfit. The mirage jeered at the reaction she had evoked. "This might make you feel something? Something from the past perhaps."

"You're not Terra," stated Raven, coldly. She noticed her feelings for the geomancer resurfacing and she pushed them back. "If you're in my mind then why would you take that form? That was so long ago."

"Everyone knows how you feel about Terra," responded the hallucination, playing with the goggles on her head and smoothing her back uniform down. "It doesn't take much poking around to realise your dislike of the betrayer. Your fear of her."

"I don't know what you mean," responded Raven, her white eyes glowing in the half-light. "Terra has been gone for long enough for me to not even have her in my thoughts. What possible reason could I have to feel anything towards her anymore? It would be pointless."

"Oh, I don't know, _witch,_ " sneered 'Terra', placing her hand on her hip and flicking her hair aside. "Perhaps my ex-boyfriend might have something to do with it? Frightened I might come back and steal him away from you?"

"You're not Terra," repeated Raven, almost like a mantra. She chose to ignore the previous comment, even though the thought of it sent shivers down her spine. That fear had touched her mind briefly, but she didn't entertain it. She kept herself as calm as she could, memories of last night coursing through her. Whoever or whatever this was, they wanted her to lose control, to think she was going crazy. She wasn't going to comply. "Who are you?"

The hallucination faltered again and reappeared as Trigon. Four glowing white eyes shone from his face, his long white hair billowing in an unearthly manner. He scowled, fangs showing. "Daughter. Your rage shall consume you. You will destroy everything and everyone you care about."

"You're dead," stated the empath, keeping her breathing steady, still repeating her mantra in her mind over and over. "You can't hurt me anymore. We defeated you. I'm not afraid of you anymore."

The red demon laughed and then vanished, to be replaced by another hallucination. Raven herself; but not her normal self, instead how she would be if she surrendered to her demon desires. Red eyes adorned the face, scars and marks of Skath all over her skin. Raven looked at the illusion in such shock that her hands and eyes returned to normal for a moment. Her violet orbs blinked in confusion. "You...aren't me."

"But you _fear_ it," insisted the false Raven, grinning evilly. "You fear yourself more than anything else in the world. You fear being alone, being without anyone. Failing the others. Being – what were the words you thought earlier?"

The doppelganger paused and placed her hand on her chin, in mock thought. It pretended to remember, pointing up to the ceiling for emphasis, teeth and eyes glowing wildly. "That's it, a _curse_. You're afraid that you'll be by yourself, that you'll hurt those you love. But let's face it, it is _inevitable_."

"No," whispered Raven, forgetting herself for a moment. She felt tears in her eyes. "No, that's not true."

"Well? Where are your friends now?" sneered her other self, placing her hands on her hips and leaning towards her. "They should have arrived by now. If they cared at all. You sent that S.O.S. message some time ago."

Raven's head shot up, and her eyes narrowed. The false Raven laughed, almost maniacally. Raven shuddered, being reminded of footage she had seen of the Joker. "Oh, my dear. Did you think I wouldn't notice? You can't hide anything from me. From yourself."

"You're not me. You are a liar," snarled the Azarathian, her hands forming into fists. "All of my friends have shown how much I mean to them over the past few days. They have called me many names of comfort. Friend. Sister. Family. They bring care and warmth to my life. I will _never_ be alone. The only person who can make that happen...is me."

"Do you _really_ believe that?" laughed the doppelganger, taking a few paces towards Raven menacingly. "Do you believe that you will find that happiness you seek? Or will you just be that 'creepy girl' forever? Destined for unhappiness? Destined to be unloved?"

"No. I believe that I am lovable because my friends have shown me that I am," stated the empath, defiantly. Her words were coming from her soul, things she would normally never allow herself to project. The other Raven was right; all of the things she was describing were fears which were real and true for her every day. But the actions of her friends challenged these feelings and made them more manageable. She held onto those thoughts with all of her might. "I _don't_ believe what you're saying. I trust my friends. I trust them with my life. All of them."

The false Raven looked a little startled at this, and somewhat amused. She grinned again. "Oh _Raven_ , you make this so much more difficult than it needs to be."

"Who are you?" restated the Azarathian, now taking a few steps forward courageously. "Who is creating these hallucinations?"

Raven saw her twin vanish and be replaced by a woman she didn't recognise. She wore a full body leotard which was adorned with black and yellow markings and swirled patterns. It came over her skull and covered her head like a swimming cap. Over her shoulders was slung a green cape, it's starched collar sticking straight up around her face. Her face was adorned with black makeup which made her look dark and cold, somehow. Strange eyebrows made her features pointed. A small grin played about her blackened lips.

"My name is Phobia," stated the woman, giving a false bow with a sneer. "Young sorceress, you are certainly a force to be reckoned with even in your current state."

"Alright, _Phobia,_ " replied Raven, coldly. Her eyes were full of anger at the woman, but she was managing to keep control of her emotions. "What do you want with me? Why have you been tormenting me? And how?"

"My powers surround bringing your deepest fears out to play," laughed the woman, straightening her cape absently. "Whilst you've been recovering from your coma it's been easy to poke about and see what's going on. See the little world you created. Including your little friend Tara."

With a wave of her gloved hand, a pink glow appeared, and Tara was stood there next to Phobia, grinning with glee. She was covered in blood and held a knife, just like every single time the empath had seen her. She vanished as Phobia waved her hand again, and she turned back to the half-demon with a smirk.

"Why?" repeated Raven, her monotone voice echoing around the room. "Why me?"

"Orders," stated Phobia, shrugging. She ran her hand across her cap and sighed but didn't elaborate. "It's nothing personal, Raven. But the Teen Titans must be broken apart. Be destroyed."

"Not on my watch," responded the empath, her eyes glowing white again. Phobia laughed at the young woman's response. Raven persisted. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Not necessary. You are the best weapon I could ask for. I can easily infiltrate your mind, you don't stand a chance in fighting me the 'conventional' way. Then you can destroy the others for me, my little puppet," smirked Phobia, her hands glowing an ominous pink colour. "This conversation bores me. Now succumb."

Raven felt an intense pain searing in her mind. How was she going to beat this powerful psychic? She was still so weak. Her powers would most likely prove useless; if she opened her mind up to attack her, it would give Phobia a way in. If she allowed herself to get angry, it would give Phobia a way in. So how? She remembered Cy's sage words; trust yourself. 'You're smart. Come on, Raven. _Think_ ,' she reflected, feeling panic rising.

The searing pain gave her a moment to consider her possible actions. Then it hit her. The other world. The normal Raven. She had learned something valuable there that may be of use to her. She took a breath as the pain continued to course from her chakra and reverberate down her body. "WAIT!"

Phobia paused, curious as to the girl's actions. "You're not going to beg, are you? I hate it when they beg."

"No," panted Raven, now on all fours. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heat throbbing in her chest. "I have a question for you, just one. You must promise to answer it honestly. Then you can do what you want, and I won't try to stop you."

* * *

Muffled beneath his helmet, Robin cursed his R-Cycle loudly. "Why won't you go faster, you heap of _junk!_ "

He rounded the corner and saw the familiar T come into view. Accelerating as hard as he could towards it, he saw the recognisable shape of Starfire landing on the roof, with Beast Boy close behind. Robin saw him morph and land next to the Tameranean; the two of them were speaking.

"Star, Beast Boy," yelled Robin into his communicator, desperately. "I'm a minute away, please do not engage until I arrive. I can see you on the roof, I'll meet you there. I know you're worried about Raven, but please wait."

"Affirmative, Robin," stated Starfire, trying to sound calm. He could hear Beast Boy shouting in the background. Star cut off abruptly, clearly wanting to calm the young man down a little bit. The dark-haired man didn't bother calling again. There was someone else he needed to speak to in these few precious moments.

"Bruce, talk to me," he stated into the communicator, urgently. "What are we dealing with here?"

The calm tones of his mentor echoed into his headset. "It's Phobia. She's a human psychic, one of the most powerful I've ever heard of. She makes your deepest fears a reality. My guess is she's been tapping into your friend's mind in order to use her as a weapon against the rest of you. Once Phobia has control, if you engage you'll all be doomed – Raven included."

Robin felt his heart almost stop. His whole team _including_ Raven were in grave danger. He tried to clear the buzzing in his mind and focus himself. "Okay, so what can we do?"

"Ultimately, it's Raven's fight. You need to try to keep a distance until you ascertain how far into her mind Phobia has managed to get. If she's pushed her powers out of control, then...I hate to say it, kid."

"Say it," stated Robin, indistinctly. He needed to know what Batman's thoughts were, as horrible as they may be. He felt so lost in that moment, he needed the guidance desperately. "Tell me."

"You'll have to choose whether to try and save Raven and potentially lose the whole team or get out of there and regroup...without her," stated the Dark Knight, coldly. Robin's stomach twisted, as his mentor presented him with the worst possible decision. He swallowed as he pulled the R-Cycle up below the tower. He knew that this was as much as Bruce could do, right now.

"Thanks. I'll call you," stated Robin, clicking the communicator off. His mind had become clinical. Dissociated. He had to be this way in order to make rational decisions. Taking a deep breath, he fired his grappling hook to the top of Titans tower and shot up. As he whizzed past the glass panes, he looked at his reflection in them. Whatever he decided, he just hoped he could live with his decision.

* * *

 _A few minutes earlier_

Starfire landed on the roof with a thud, tottering a bit. Her landing was not as polished as normal because her emotions were all over the place. It always sent her powers on the fritz. She regained her balance and straightened to her full height, her long auburn hair blowing in the wind. Her best friend was in trouble. She didn't know what for sure, but she knew it was bad. They needed to protect her. They'd only just got her back, they couldn't lose her again. The team couldn't face it. She couldn't face it. She took a deep breath, and she heard a squawk followed by another soft thud behind her.

She turned to see the changeling looking at her desperately. "Star—"

"Friend—"

They were cut off when her communicator bleeped urgently. She gave the young man a look and answered the call on speaker.

"Star, Beast Boy," came the leader's voice through the line, with a sense of desperation. "I'm a minute away, please do not engage until I arrive. I can see you on the roof, I'll meet you there. I know you're worried about Raven but please wait."

Starfire turned to look at the green man's pained eyes, knowing that she had to obey the command she had been given. "Affirmative, Robin."

"Star, seriously?! She's in trouble, he just expects us to stand here and wait—"

"Friend, _please_ ," shouted the Tameranean, clicking the communicator shut and putting it away. She half ran towards him and held her hands over his arms, trying to calm him down. "Calm yourself. We cannot rush in without knowing what it is we face. Robin is right to be cautious. We are no good to friend Raven if we are dead."

"But Star, what if she's hurt? What if she's in pain? I can't lose her again," said Beast Boy, his voice cracking. His eyes welled up with tears, as he raised his arms and looped them around Starfire's. "I've only just...we've only just..."

Starfire pulled the green man into a hug, her fiery hair pressing against him. He clinched her and began to sob a little. She rubbed her hand soothingly against his back. "You are close. I understand that you love her."

The changeling pushed back against Starfire, surprise in his eyes and a blush over his face. "I-I-How did...I mean—"

"Perhaps _you_ do not even know that it is love," stated the princess, her eyes full of wisdom. "But take it from one who does. Your love is strong for her. But I know my best friend; she would want us to be _sensible_. It is her way. We owe her that much."

Beast Boy rubbed the tears from his face as Star lowered her arms away from him. He couldn't believe what she had just said. In love with Raven? He knew his feelings for her were strong but...did he really love the empath? It was a lot for him to process in that moment. He sighed and tried to calm himself down. Starfire was right, they needed to be calm and collected. To work as a team. They were young, impetuous teenagers no longer.

"Thanks," stated the changeling, starting to look more like himself again. The Tameranean gave him a wide smile as a grappling hook appeared on the side of the building. Robin soared into the air and landed next to them both, a grim look on his masked face.

"I've spoken to Bruce and it's not good news," he said, retracting the hook and placing it back in his belt. "The villain we are facing is Phobia, a powerful psychic. We need to approach this with caution because she could affect us all."

"What do you mean, affect us?" asked Starfire, clutching her boyfriend's arm with concern. "With a bug of some sort?"

"No, Star. Not infect us, _affect_ us. She brings out our deepest fears from the recessed of our minds and uses them against us. To drive us mad. To drive us against each other. We can't allow that to happen," replied the boy wonder, looking between the two calmly. "We have to work as a team. Remember who we are. Keep our minds strong. Our emotions in check."

He looked over to Beast Boy, who stared back at him with a little defiance in his eyes. "You think we can manage that?"

"Yes," stated the changeling, putting his chin up. "For Raven, I think we can manage anything."

"You got that right, brother," smiled Robin, letting his guard down for a moment. Beast Boy smiled back at the young man, and then at Starfire who returned his grin. "So, here's the plan..."

* * *

Phobia considered the lavender-haired woman's request for a few moments. It was certainly one she hadn't heard before, and she would admit that she was intrigued. One question to get ultimate control over the little witch? To complete her task and destroy the Titans from the inside out? What could the little wretch possibly do to her?

She smiled wickedly and crouched down to look the empath in the face. "Fair enough, Raven. You fascinate me. I shall play your little game."

"Okay," breathed Raven, trying to regain her composure slightly. She stood shakily to her feet and Phobia matched her height slowly. "But, like I said, you have to promise me that the answer will be honest. I'll be able to tell if it isn't. You aren't the only one with senses, you know."

"I'm fully aware of your empathic abilities, sorceress," snarled Phobia, but her face softened slightly. "However, I understand your cynicism. You don't know me, you have no reason to trust my word. But I give it to you. You may ask me one question, and I will give you an honest answer. No matter how unpleasant it may feel for me."

"Okay, Phobia," responded the Azarathian, some venom in her voice. "But here's my caveat, my insurance if you will. If you lie, then I get to ask you another question and so on. Until you do finally tell the truth."

"Hold on a moment," laughed Phobia, darkly. "I don't recall you making the rules."

"Well, if you're not going to lie, what does it matter," responded Raven, quickly. Her eyes flashed with smugness. "If you are going to tell the truth then my stipulation is of little significance to you. One question is all it will be."

Phobia smirked at her opponent's intelligence and cocked her head to the side. "Fine. You win. If I lie, which I won't, then you get to ask me a follow up question."

"Deal," nodded the half-demon, reaching out her hand for Phobia to shake. "If you tell the truth then I will succumb to you. Mind and body."

Phobia reached out gingerly to the empath's hand but gave it a quick and firm shake. "Go ahead then, Miss Roth. The floor is yours."

Raven took a deep breath. 'Azar, I hope this works. Other Raven, if you're in there, I need your help. Your therapist training. Bring forward that question.'

She looked at Phobia for a moment, her lilac eyes full of thought. She reached out to sense the woman's emotions and hit a sudden gem of information; Phobia made fears reality for others to cover her own deep-seated terror. Of course, that made sense. To stall for time, she walked over to the bed and sat down on it. She gestured to the visitor's chair by the desk and Phobia looked over to it. She stalked across and sat down, clearly bemused by the half-demon's actions. Slumping down, her tone became impatient. "You're stalling, Raven. Your question. Now."

Raven could sense that her teammates had arrived at last. She felt some comfort at this, but also hoped that they wouldn't intervene for the time being. She focused again on the woman's feelings again. Fear that deep came from somewhere long ago. Her inner therapist spoke to her one word – _childhood_. Something traumatic had happened to this woman in her childhood that made her use these powers for evil. That was it. Raven smiled internally.

"No, not stalling, just trying to find the right words," stated the empath, allowing herself to smile a little on the outside. "I'm not as fast since my accident, my apologies."

"Granted," nodded Phobia, folding her arms. She glared menacingly at her opponent. "But now time is up. Your question. Last chance."

"My question is this: How do you feel about your childhood?"

Phobia's face dropped. It was as if her mask fell down and all of her illusions shattered around her. Raven swore in that moment that she could feel the panic and sadness pouring from the psychic so powerfully it almost nauseated her. "W-what did you say?"

"I said, how do you feel about your childhood? Your turn to be swift and give me an answer," stated the Azarathian coldly, folding her arms to mimic Phobia's previous actions. "The truth. No lies, remember?"

"I—I," began the woman, stumbling over her words. "I can't."

"Then leave. Now."

Phobia's head shot up, and she hissed. "I am not leaving."

"Then _answer the question,_ " emphasised the empath, savagely. "Or I get to ask a follow up one."

Phobia wrestled with herself, pulling at her cape and holding tears back inside her. She could feel her own fear rising up and consuming her. She felt the panic writhing around as she remembered her early years. She couldn't find the words to make the half-demon understand, even if she wanted to.

"I _can't_ ," she repeated, savagely. She was barely holding herself together, every ounce of her wanted to flee the room in fright. Her biological fear response had truly been triggered.

"Okay, so here is my follow up question," continued Raven, her voice calm and cool. "What was it about your childhood that made you turn to this life of crime?"

"I...I can't," repeated Phobia, almost turning as green as her cape. She sank from the chair to her knees, completely overcome with emotion. "I _can't_."

"Okay, so here's my next question," stated the empath, her voice level. She was not allowing anything to show on her face, but she could clearly see the effect she was having on Phobia and she wasn't going to let up. This was psychological warfare. "Do you enjoy being this way, enjoy hurting people? Making them feel fear?"

Phobia was aware that the Azarathian had technically asked several questions, but she was so overwhelmed that she didn't have the strength to contest her. "I...I..."

"Look, I don't believe you're a bad person, Phobia," responded Raven, unfolding her arms and softening her face. "You shouldn't be doing this. You can feel that fear that you inflict on others inside you right now. It isn't nice. You're doing all of this because you're hurting. You need to confront what is plaguing you so that you can make a decision. A decision about how you want to live your life. The same way I did. Don't let your powers control your actions."

Phobia looked up at Raven, her eyes full of sadness and understanding. Memories were flooding her from all directions and she was overwhelmed. It was time to retreat. Tears poured down her cheeks. She stated one word as she vanished from the room, without a trace. "Father."

Raven took a deep breath and stood up to her full height, her face bravely staring at where her assailant had been. Through the window to the medbay, three Titans stood watching in awe as their friend showed them that her powers stretched far beyond her demon side. Her human side could be just as terrifying, given the right circumstances.


	19. Chapter 19 - Hello and Goodbye

**Author's note:** **Thanks so much for reading this far – nineteen chapters already, I can't believe it. We're still well into the story, so never fear. The plot thickens in this chapter, along with some well missed BBRae fluffies and friendship development. I hope you enjoy! Again, the plotline takes from the TT comics and cartoon series and is an amalgamation, for anyone who is confused. Any questions feel free to ask!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter nineteen – Hello and Goodbye**

The plan had gone out of the window. Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy burst through the door to the medbay. The Tameranean and the changeling ran straight to Raven, both gripping her in a rudimentary group hug. Robin rushed over to the computer screen, his fingers flying over the keys and his eyes narrowing beneath his mask.

"Friend, you are unharmed?" said Star, nuzzling herself into her friend. Raven patted her with her right arm, knowing that the alien meant well despite overstepping the empath's personal boundaries.

"I'm okay, Star," replied Raven, quietly. She turned her eyes towards Beast Boy who was clinched to her other side. His emerald eyes found her lilac ones. "I'm okay."

Robin stood up from the screen and turned towards the other three Titans shaking his head. "Scanners and cameras are showing nothing. It's like she just...vanished."

"She did," responded Raven, still sandwiched between her two friends. "But my powers can detect she is no longer here. I think she's left us alone, for now."

"Hmm," replied the boy wonder, rubbing his chin. He didn't look convinced but was pensive. "I wonder who sent her."

Starfire and Beast Boy released the Azarathian from their grasp as Robin took a few paces towards them. Raven shook her head solemnly. "She didn't say, Robin. I did try to get as much information from her as I could, but she wasn't forthcoming with anything. She did say that she was here on 'orders' though, which suggests there is someone else pulling the strings somewhere."

"That doesn't give us much to go on," sighed their leader, his shoulders drooping dejectedly. He remembered himself, and straightened up, looking Raven in the eyes. "I'm glad you're alright, Raven. Well done in there, you really used your head."

"Thanks," responded the empath, conceding a small smile towards the dark-haired man. "I want to explain...everything. When the others are back."

"I've got to go and make a call," responded Robin, taking a few paces towards the medbay door. "Star, could you check in with the others? Tell them what's happened? I'm sure they'll want to know that Raven is safe."

"Yes, of course!" exclaimed the princess, grasping her communicator. She left the room, with a final smile towards her best friend who returned it fully. Robin nodded towards the empath as Star flew past him, then followed her out of the door. With a swoosh the room fell silent. Raven turned to face the changeling. He reached out and grasped her hands in his, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Beast Boy asked, concern in his eyes. The Azarathian nodded, her eyes locking onto his again. He allowed a small smile, giving her hands a squeeze. "You were really something back there."

"It was luck more than judgement," admitted Raven, a little amusement in her eyes. "You saw some of what happened, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, we came down just as you and Phobia were facing off," responded the young man, nodding. "She was really powerful, wasn't she?"

"Actually, it was quite scary," conceded the empath, feeling she could be honest with the shapeshifter. His eyes watched her as she opened up. "She really pushed some buttons. I'll explain it all once Cyborg and Bumblebee return but...I'm just glad you guys were here. I wasn't sure my plan would work, but if I hadn't of succeeded...it would have been bad news for us all."

Raven turned her head to look at the changeling. His eyes were full of relief and concern, and she could sense his care for her radiating off him. It was almost palpable to her empathic abilities. "I'm okay, Gar. I promise."

"I was _so_ scared," confessed Garfield, lowering his eyes for a moment. "When they said you were in danger...I thought I might lose you again."

Raven's lilac orbs softened at her companion's words. He had been through a lot these past few months, she could tell. "I'm not going anywhere...at least not without a fight."

His eyes looked up and she could see his amusement behind the sadness. "I never doubted that for a moment. But if something _had_ gone down...I would never have had the chance to talk to you about what happened. About us."

Raven noticed their hands were still entwined, and she felt her heartbeat pick up. His ears twitched, and she knew he was aware of her physiological change. His eyes changed slightly, his pupils dilating again. She swallowed, feeling nervous and excited all at once.

"Rae," began the changeling, his eyes never leaving hers. "Why did you kiss me earlier? I just want to know the truth. I don't mind if it was just an 'in the moment' kinda thing. But just tell me honestly. I need to know."

"No, Gar," replied Raven shocked, her eyes widening. She paused, taking a deep breath and releasing it as a sigh as her eyes lowered to the floor. She could feel his anxiety feeding her own. "It wasn't done in the heat of the moment, if that's what you mean. You mean a lot to me."

The changeling felt his heart pick up pace at Raven's sentiment, warmth hitting his chest. But he could tell that something was bothering her. He needed to know. "Why do I sense a 'but'?"

"But," conceded Raven, closing her eyes and releasing his hands. She reopened them and shifted her gaze upwards to meet his emerald ones again, fiddling with her nails awkwardly. "I'm _complicated_. You know that. You saw what happened yesterday when my powers got out of control. You saw what happened when you...got close last night."

"Rae," interrupted Beast Boy, his voice soft and low. "I trust you."

Raven smiled at his honesty, and felt a few tears prick her eyes. "I know you do."

"I don't believe that you'd ever hurt me," continued the green man, reaching his hand up to cup her face. He ran his thumb along her jawline gently. "You're too hard on yourself, you know that?"

"I always have to be careful, Gar," responded the empath, reaching her hand up to touch his. Her eyes were soft and full of sadness. "You know I've never been able to let anyone get too close. Much to your annoyance when we were younger."

Beast Boy laughed and allowed his hand to drop down to his lap. He reached up and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed. "I guess I was a bit annoying with that, huh?"

"A bit?" emphasised the Azarathian, a mock serious expression on her face. "There were days I would have happily thrown you out of the window. Whilst it was still closed."

"Ah, I probably would have deserved it too," chuckled the changeling, allowing his eyes to meet hers. That strange connection passed between them again. "I always just wanted to get your attention. I wanted to make you laugh, to make you smile. I still do."

"Why?" asked Raven tilting her head, genuinely curious. She could feel herself wanting to reach out and hold him again and pushed it back away from her thoughts. "I was always so mean to you, but you never took the hint."

"Because," explained the green shapeshifter, still feeling a little embarrassed at expressing himself honestly. "I felt like you deserved to be happy. To smile. To laugh. To know that we wanted you around. You always made yourself so isolated, so alone. I didn't want you to think that was coming from us. From me. I always wanted you around, so I tried to make you see that in the only way I knew how back then."

He paused, a little cheeky glint coming into his emerald eyes. "Plus, you have a killer smile, you know."

Raven couldn't help herself. She let out a small laugh, a blush creeping over her cheeks. Garfield felt his heart soar. He was never happier than when he made her happy. He suddenly felt brave and reached for her hand again. She looked over at him, a smile still playing about her lips.

"Raven," he began, honestly. Her face became more serious as she noticed the change in his tone. "Lately, I've noticed that I have...some pretty significant feelings for you."

The empath felt his honesty, the strength of his care nearly knocking her backwards. She looked at him, unsure whether to speak or let him continue. He spoke again, saving her from her conundrum.

"I understand that you say it's complicated, but," began the changeling, pausing to gather his thoughts. He took a deep breath. "But I want to try. I want to be with you. It's just how I feel, I can't lie to you about it anymore. That day that I ran from you was an unconscious reaction, but I know why it happened now. Rae, the way I feel about you terrifies me. I didn't want to risk letting anyone that close to me again, not after..."

He stopped, eyes faltering and looking at the floor. This had been so much easier when she had been asleep. Raven gave his hand a squeeze and decided to try and reassure him. He had just attempted to bare his soul, and she knew how difficult that was for him. To not hide behind the humour. To be with his feelings.

"I understand," replied the Azarathian, as he looked back towards her. She shrugged. "When you've allowed yourself to be that exposed with someone and it ends badly...it's frightening."

Beast Boy gave a smile that was genuine. He knew she really understood; those words were coming from experience. Malchior and Terra had been very different experiences, but their impact had been remarkably similar. Both Titans had wanted to withdraw, had become mistrustful of those they developed feelings for.

"So, I guess _I'm_ complicated too, huh?" joked the changeling, finding comfort in his usual defence mechanism. Raven's eyes landed on him, but she didn't laugh this time, instead simply nodding. He pushed the humour aside for a moment, opting to stay with his sincerity. "Listen, I don't expect anything. I just wanted to tell you the truth."

"I appreciate your honesty, Gar," responded the lavender haired woman, trying to smile but finding it to be forced. She didn't really know how to respond. She took a deep breath. "My feelings for you have been stronger recently, too."

"And?" pressed the changeling, biting his lip with his fang and feeling nervous. "What do _you_ want, Raven?"

"What I want and what I should do are often two different things," replied the empath, shrugging. It was like they were dancing around each other, each touching on what they wanted to say but neither feeling able to express it safely. "I like you. I trust you. I think I want to be with you too, but I'm not sure if I can be with anyone. I'm not Starfire—"

"And I'm not Robin," countered Beast Boy, sounding firm. "We are who we are, Rae. Whatever this is...I don't need to label it. I don't need your undying devotion. I just want us to be together. Whatever that means for you and me."

She looked at his earnest face and felt herself leaning towards him instinctively. His warm breath was tickling her face again. Before she even knew what she was doing, her lips were brushing his. She could feel that earlier desire radiating off him again, feeding her own. His feelings for her were so strong, so powerful. They seeped into her and all over her. She waited for him to move, keeping her pressure gentle. He didn't hesitate for very long, pressing his mouth against hers fervently. As they began to kiss more deeply Garfield's ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps coming down the corridor towards them, and he broke off reluctantly. Raven's confused eyes looked at him as he turned towards the door. The keypad beeped, and the empath realised that he'd heard something she hadn't.

She pushed away from him a little, although they were still sitting close together. She adjusted her hair self-consciously and glanced to her right to notice he was doing the same. They gave each other a knowing smirk as the door flew open and Starfire bustled in.

"Hello, dear friends!" she cooed, blissfully unaware of what had been happening within the room before her arrival. She looked proud of herself, as she handed the Azarathian a steaming white mug. "Raven, I have made you a cup of your favourite herbal tea."

"Oh! Thanks, Starfire," responded the empath, a little surprised at her friend's kind act. She took the mug gingerly, trying not to burn her fingers. Starfire smiled and clapped her hands gleefully as Raven blew the steam away and went to take a sip. She paused, and her eyes flicked towards the Tameranean. "Um, you didn't put any mustard in this, right?"

The redheaded woman shook her head vehemently. "No, friend. I made it just as you showed me! Would you like me to fetch you some wondrous mustard? It would be no problem, I could just—"

"No, no!" interrupted the empath, giving a genuine smile. "No, I'm...I'm all good for mustard today. This is perfect. Thank you."

She could feel slight vibrations through her right leg, as the changeling was trying to stifle his laughter. She shot him an angry sideward glance, and he shrugged helplessly. Starfire was still blissfully unaware of what was happening and continued to speak happily.

"Oh good! I thought you may need refreshment after your earlier struggle, you are still my little _k'norfka_ after all. Robin has requested our presence now that friends Cyborg and Bumblebee have returned safely. Shall we go and see them?"

"Yeah, of course," replied Beast Boy, jumping to his feet. He gave Raven a meaningful look, which she returned. He smiled at the two women. "I'll meet you both there. See ya!"

With that he dashed off down the corridor, the door whizzing closed behind him. Starfire turned towards her friend and raised her eyebrow. "Everything is...okay?"

Raven raised her eyebrow back at her best friend, remembering she wasn't quite as dippy as she made out. "Yes, why?"

"Oh, no reason," responded the Tameranean, her eyes shining slightly. "You just seem...happier than usual."

"Just...glad to be with my friends again," responded Raven, knowing that Starfire wouldn't buy her lie for a second. It didn't matter. She wasn't ready to share this with anyone right now. Whatever 'this' was, it was theirs alone for the time being. "We'd better go see what your other half wants."

Starfire nodded in agreement and went to walk out the room. Suddenly, she felt the grab of the empath on her upper arm and she turned in surprise. "Friend?"

"Thanks for the tea, Kori," said Raven, giving the best small smile she could. "It means a lot."

"You are most welcome," responded Starfire contentedly, looping her arm with Raven's and walking out of the medbay towards ops. "All is as it should be."

* * *

As the two women entered ops, the other four Titans turned towards them. There were smiles on everyone's faces and Raven sensed the relief in the air. Everyone seemed glad that the imminent threat they were facing a few hours ago had been neutralised.

"Hey, little lady!" greeted Cyborg, getting up and walking towards them. "Glad to hear you've been kicking butt."

"Thanks, Cy," responded Raven, giving a small smile. She detangled her arm from Starfire's and placed her tea mug down on the side softly. "Are youboth okay?"

"All good, girl," responded Bumblebee, also walking towards them jovially. "We put those two idiots right where they belong. Just glad to see you're in one piece."

"Takes more than that to get rid of me," responded the empath, dryly. "Though people seem to keep trying."

Beast Boy gave a little laugh at Raven's attempt at a joke, and she glanced over at him with amusement in her eyes. "Something funny, Beast Boy?"

"Everything except for me, apparently," quipped the changeling, giving her a wink. "So, what's this meeting about, Robin?"

"Twofold. Raven wanted a chance to explain what happened yesterday," began the leader, walking towards the rest of the team and sitting down on the couch. The others followed suit, all assembling comfortably ready for the meeting. "I also have some more leads to share with you following my conversation with Bruce."

"Okay," nodded Beast Boy, leaning back against the couch and tilting his head. "This should be interesting."

"Raven," stated Robin, turning to look at his friend. He gave a brief smile, but it vanished almost instantly. He was business as usual, the empath noted. She didn't mind. It was Robin's way, and she accepted it just as he accepted hers. "Do you want to start?"

"Yes," responded the Azarathian, her monotone voice low. "I've wanted to tell you all this for some time but being unable to speak it has been difficult to find a way to express what I have experienced. When I was in my coma I was part of another world. I'm not entirely sure why, but my mind created a place that I could take refuge whilst I healed. There were people there, that were connected to people I know in this life. You were all there in one way or another. But it felt very authentic to me at the time; everything about the place I was in felt real. It still does now. What happened there doesn't matter too much, but it has created some confusion in my head as I have been recovering as to what was reality and what was fantasy. Phobia exploited that aspect of my recovery to get what she wanted."

Raven sighed and sat back. "There was a person in the other world. She was dangerous. I don't want to go into it too much, but she murdered someone there that I cared about and there was nothing I could do to stop her. I had no powers, no influence. Phobia knew this, she made me see her everywhere. I thought she had come to attack me that night in my room. It was just a hallucination but somehow it felt real."

"It was real," responded Robin, rubbing his chin. "Phobia made it real."

"She did," agreed the empath, rubbing her chakra. "Azar, it was a mess. She pushed my buttons; my powers went awry. I should have known better. I'm sorry for scaring you all."

"It is more important to us that you are safe, friend," chipped in Starfire, her green eyes full of kindness. "Your room can be replaced, you cannot."

Raven looked at the Tameranean with thankful eyes and continued to speak. "Well, anyway, when she appeared to me again I realised she couldn't be real. Something didn't add up. I pressed Phobia and she kept changing the hallucinations on me, to reveal my deepest fears. Trigon and...others. I challenged her as much as I could but once she went at me full force..."

Raven looked at all of the Titans one by one. "As we are, we don't stand a chance against her if she returns again. Her powers are incredibly strong. The only way I could best her was to use her own skills against her. It was fortunate that she took the bait."

"We saw you," stated Beast Boy, looking at the empath admiringly. "You did an amazing job."

Raven smiled at the green man, her face colouring slightly. "Thanks, but I was lucky. I think that she is gone; my senses suggest she has moved far away from here. But she could return. Or others from her group. I presume Shrapnel and Firefly were distractions to give her time to assault me."

Robin nodded, grimly. "Unfortunately."

Raven nodded, her suspicions confirmed. "It makes sense. Her intention was to manipulate me and my powers into destroying you all once you returned. For some reason they want to take the Titans apart, one by one."

"Oh man," said Cyborg, looking alarmed at the Azarathian's tale. "This is bad news, y'all."

"It sounds as though she is part of something a lot bigger," reasoned Bumblebee, placing her hand on Cy's shoulder, supportively. He looked over at her thankfully, and she returned his smile before turning to the boy wonder. "Robin, what did Bruce say?"

The five Titans turned to look at their leader, who was digesting all of Raven's confessions with interest. He looked back at them dourly. "According to Batman, there have been reports of several different supervillains stealing DNA from various laboratories and facilities across the country. It seems that whoever they are working for is attempting to create a genetically manufactured villain. A solider for their wrongdoing."

"But, if that's the case then what did Phobia want with me? With us?" asked Raven, a strange feeling tugging at her. She felt apprehensive about this new piece of news. Robin shrugged helplessly.

"Not sure, but we need to find out. Right now, I can only assume that she was trying to steal some of your DNA. Some of our DNA. What better place to get the powers you need than at Titans Tower?"

There were collective gasps and murmurs of concern around the room at the realisation of what Robin was saying. Everyone exchanged worried glances and the leader noticed the tension rise in the room. "There's no need to panic about it, nothing specifically suggests that they've been able to get hold of any of our DNA...yet. But, it is a real concern. We're going to have to be vigilant, as Bruce thinks another attack is imminent. Even though we've managed to get rid of Phobia, Firefly and Shrapnel, its likely they're only just the beginning."

"Dude," whispered Beast Boy, his eyes wide. "Imagine a being that had all of our powers combined."

"And more," added Cyborg, shaking his head in disbelief. "How would be even _begin_ to beat somethin' like that?"

"Preparation," stated the boy wonder, firmly. "We need to train as much as we can, learn as much as we can and try to become a better team before it's too late. We don't want anything like this to happen again."

"Agreed," confirmed Starfire, nodding fervidly. "We must bond as the team and work together."

"I hear that," stated Cyborg, smiling at the others. "They wanna take us down, we're gonna give them our best shot."

"Agreed," affirmed Raven, her eyes gleaming with defiance. "As I told Phobia, we won't go down without a fight."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Beast Boy, nodding along with his team mates. His eyes landed on Robin. "We'll get through this together. We always do, right Robin?"

"Right," agreed Robin, smiling at the green changeling and the rest of his team. He noticed Bee was silent and looked deep in thought. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Bumblebee, you've been quiet for a while. What are your thoughts?"

The room went silent as all five faces turned to stare at the young dark-haired woman. She looked both pensive and upset at the same time. Her eyes raised to look at Robin, slowly. "I think I need to go back to my team, birdy. If this is a real threat, then...they need me there with them. To protect them, to help."

Cyborg's face dropped, and Beast Boy looked over to him, concerned. He glanced back at Bee and noticed her face looked stern and serious. There was nothing to be said; Bumblebee was part of Titans East, she had only ever been here to support the team on a temporary basis. The young woman tried to bring the tone of the room back to one that was a little lighter. "Besides, Raven has shown today that she's more than capable of handling herself again. You don't need me here anymore, cramping your style."

"You could never do that," responded the empath, kindly. She could sense the sadness pouring from her teammates and it was feeding her own emotions. "I'll be sorry to see you leave, Bumblebee."

The woman looked surprised for a moment at the Azarathian's earnest words, but she managed a small smile. Raven noticed her eyes were a little teary. "Thanks, Raven. It's been good to work with you all. I'll...I'll go pack my stuff."

Without another word, Bumblebee stood up shakily and turned towards the door. As she left ops, the tension within the room was palpable. Everyone turned back towards Robin expectantly, and he cleared his throat. "Well, it seems Bumblebee has made her decision. Raven, we need to start sorting things out tomorrow, get you back to full strength ready for Bee's departure. Unfortunately, your room is still a mess, so you'll have to camp out with one of us again."

Who would she stay with? There was only one obvious choice. Raven felt her cheeks colouring and cursed that she still hadn't recovered her cloak from her room. In all that had happened these past few hours she hadn't even noticed it's absence. She shook her head and looked at the leader. "It's fine. I can stay with Beast Boy again, if he doesn't mind."

"Me? Oh, no. No, it's fine," stammered the changeling, a little flustered. He regained himself a moment later. "I'll take the chair again."

Robin raised his eyebrow slightly at their strange responses but didn't press it any further. "Cy, you think you can fix up Raven's space tomorrow? Hey. Cy? Cyborg?"

The cybernetic man had gone very still and very quiet. His eyes were fixed at a spot on the floor, his mind clearly elsewhere. Robin went to speak to him again, but Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder slowly and shook her head. "The repairs can wait. Let us leave him for a while, friends."

Robin nodded, as the Tameranean took his hand and led him out of ops. Raven looked over at Beast Boy, who gave her a nod. She knew he was best placed to speak to his best friend, so she silently stood up. "I'll go retrieve some things from my room."

The changeling smiled, his stomach giving a little flip at the realisation that she would be in his room again later. As she slowly walked out of ops, he could almost feel her lips on his again. He shook his head, knowing that there were more pressing matters at hand.

"You okay, dude?" stated the green shapeshifter, moving to sit next to his friend and placing his hand on the man's shoulder gently. Cyborg shifted, as if awakened from a trance. His dark eyes looked over to his friend's concerned face and he sighed.

"Yeah, man. I'm okay," he stated, quietly. His body language and facial expressions indicated otherwise. Beast Boy let Cyborg's shoulder go and leant forwards slowly, matching the metal man's posture.

"Look, I'm not Raven, but I can tell when you're not okay. You're not," he stated, as if it was a fact. Cy looked over at him in surprise, noticing his friend's serious expression. "Want to talk about it?"

"When did you get so smart?" deflected the cybernetic man, looking out of the window and across to the city. "Been spendin' far too much time with our Rae."

"Probably, but it doesn't change the fact that I've known you a long time. I'm here for you, Cy. You just have to let me in."

Cyborg let out a long sigh and ran his hand over his head slowly. "It's just...I knew she was goin' to eventually leave and everythin', but now that she is...I don't know, man."

"You're hurting," stated the changeling, with some empathy in his voice. Cyborg looked over at him and nodded. "You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, we're close," responded Cy, his eyes shining slightly. "But I knew it wasn't meant to be. So did she, I think."

"Dude, I'm really sorry," said Beast Boy, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, supportively. "I'm going to miss having her around too."

"She's a special lady," conceded the metal man, his voice cracking a little. "No one else like her."

"True. No one else like you either though," added the shapeshifter smiling, which elicited a surprised look from his friend.

"You're freakin' me out a bit, man," smiled the cybernetic man, tilting his head. "Since when did you get good at this stuff?"

"Hey, I'm an adult now, remember?" responded Beast Boy, grinning. "Some things have to change. Others, not so much. I could still kick your butt on Gamestation."

"Is that a challenge?" responded the metal man, raising his eyebrow. "Cause I think that was a challenge."

"Any time, any place," smiled the changeling, giving his friend a childish shove. "Bring it on, tin man."

"Oh, you're going _down_ green bean," laughed Cy, a little of his old sparkle back. He paused for a moment then looked at his best friend and smiled. "Hey, man. Thanks."

"For what?"

"For caring."

"Always," smiled Beast Boy, standing up to get the controllers and set up the game.


	20. Chapter 20 - Us and Them

**Author's note:** **I cannot thank all of you enough for the kind comments I am receiving and the continued interest in my story. The following chapter focuses on story progression and ties up some loose ends (or does it?). Just to reiterate again this takes storylines from both the comics and the cartoon TT series.**

 **Disclaimer: ****I do not own Teen Titans or any of the DC characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter twenty – Us and Them**

Raven tiptoed into her room, trying not to crunch the glass any further beneath her feet. Usually, she would levitate across but was trying to conserve her energy. Her nap felt like a million years ago, and she could feel tiredness nipping at her again. Reaching into her wardrobe, she pulled out the familiar midnight blue cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. She clasped it together and pulled her hood up into its customary position, tucking her long hair behind her shoulders. It felt like home. Smiling a little, she rifled through until she found a set of pyjamas. She was sick of sleeping in her uniform over the past few weeks. Holding the garments to her chest, she turned to leave her room, surveying the damage again warily.

"Everything okay?" came a voice from the darkened hallway. Raven jumped a little, gasping in surprise. Her eyes widened in recognition and she clutched her heart through the pyjamas.

"Robin, you scared me half to death," growled the empath, panting slightly. She let out a slow breath of relief and shook her head. "Not a day for creeping up on me."

"Sorry, my bad," conceded the boy wonder, resting against her doorframe and tilting his head. "How are you doing after your encounter with Phobia?"

"I'm...surprisingly okay," responded the Azarathian, honestly. "I thought I would be more impacted by it, but truthfully I'm not."

"Somehow you always manage to take everything in your stride," said the young man, giving a smile. "It's one of the many things I admire about you."

"Thanks," smiled Raven, shrugging at the compliment. "I guess after being in a coma for such a long-time, things don't seem to faze you as much anymore."

"It sounded like that coma was intense for you," replied Robin, taking a few paces into her room. "Another world. Another you."

"It was remarkably nice to be normal for once," said the empath, averting her eyes to the floor. "Not having to worry about protecting others, managing my emotions, my powers. Just having fun and being a normal girl."

"I can imagine," nodded the boy wonder, looking around the room again in thought. "You've been through a lot in your life, Raven. A little normality must have felt a nice change."

"It was," smiled the Azarathian, a little wistfully. She sighed and looked back up at their leader. "But it wasn't meant to be. This is my reality. Where I belong."

Robin placed his hand on her shoulder kindly. "I couldn't agree more. We're glad to have you back. Are you up for training with me tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," responded Raven, nodding. "I just need a good night's sleep tonight. I'm exhausted."

"You sure you'll be okay in Beast Boy's room again?" asked the boy wonder, with some concern. "When I mentioned it before the two of you seemed a little jittery about it."

Raven felt her face colouring and thanked Azar she had put her trusty cloak on again. "Did we?"

Robin nodded. "Is everything okay between you two now? I know you had that fight a couple of days ago."

"Yes, we're fine. No more fights. He's been very kind during my recovery," responded the empath, choosing her words carefully. She knew when Robin was fishing for information, and she wasn't going to give him anything. She decided to try and throw him off slightly. "Lucky that he can shift; the chair seems to suit him fine in his cat form."

"Okay, as long as you're both alright with it. I'm sure Cy will get the room back to normal for you soon," replied the boy wonder, accepting her answer. "In line with being normal young adults, we were thinking of giving Bee a nice evening before she leaves tomorrow. Star's idea. You up for that?"

Raven felt a little torn. She didn't really feel like being around everyone, but at the same time Bumblebee had been very kind in helping the team during her absence. Perhaps spending a little time with them wouldn't be the end of the world. She conceded. "Sure. What were you guys thinking?"

"Pizza, hanging out and most likely Tameranean poetry and puddings," said Robin, looking at her grimly. He whispered to her as if sharing a secret. "We can avoid the puddings."

Raven laughed a little. She gave him a mock stern expression. "As Starfire's boyfriend and our faithful leader, I actually think it should be your role to sample the puddings. Just to make sure they're safe for our consumption."

"Raven, we both know that they aren't safe for anyone but Star's consumption," laughed Robin, scratching the back of his head. He smiled. "She tries her best, in her own way."

"Yes. She made me tea today – without mustard," added Raven, smiling wryly. "So, she's done a good job in my eyes."

Robin's own eyes shone at the mention of his girl. Raven noticed this and tilted her head slightly. She wondered if this was how Beast Boy looked when people mentioned her. She tried to push such silly thoughts aside, despite their persistence. Raven looked around the room then back at Robin. "Well, I'll go drop my stuff off in Beast Boy's room, then meet you all in ops."

"Great," responded Robin, snapping back to reality. He gave the young woman a final smile. "I'm glad you've agreed to spend some time with us. After all this time, it'll be nice to all be together again."

"Yeah," conceded Raven, returning his smile. "It will."

With that, she stepped back over the glass and left the room, her cloak billowing behind her. Robin turned to watch her leave and narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin with a small smile playing upon his lips. "Sleep on the chair, huh? The same chair that was broken in pieces this morning?"

* * *

Raven entered ops to see Cyborg and Beast Boy playing on their video games for the first time in a while. Even before her coma, she couldn't remember the last time she had seen the two locked in one of their animated battles. She gave a nostalgic sigh and wandered over to make another cup of tea. Starfire and Robin were nowhere to be seen, and the boys didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence. They were shouting insults at each other and laughing in conjunction. She rolled her eyes and smiled, quietly putting the kettle on to boil and watching them amusedly. Bumblebee walked into ops and also noticed the scene before her. Wandering next to Raven she smirked and folded her arms.

"Some things never change, huh?" she asked the empath, raising her eyebrow. "I'll miss that."

"We'll miss you," responded Raven, pouring the hot water into her mug and letting the steam rise towards her face. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," stated Bee, flatly. "I'll need to get a flight back, it's too far to go in this suit unless absolutely essential."

"I understand," responded the Azarathian, blowing the steamy mug and warming it in her hands as she turned to face the young woman. "I bet Speedy and Aqualad will be glad to see you."

"We've been keeping in touch," replied Bumblebee, her eyes still on the two young men. "Nothing major has been going on at Titan's East since I left. The same old villains and conversation."

"You're sad about leaving," stated Raven, her empathic abilities reaching out. "Unhappy about going back."

Bee turned to look at her in surprise, then remembered the half-demon's powers. She smiled. "Can't hide anything from you, can I?"

Raven returned a small smile and took a sip of her tea. She looked over at the two young men who were still engrossed in their game. "Cyborg will miss you."

"I know," responded Bumblebee, also turning to look at them. A faint blush was on her cheeks. "I'll miss him too."

"You could always stay," responded the empath, leaning back against the counter. "Transfer to our team."

"I can't do that," replied the dark-haired woman, miserably. She looked Raven in the eyes, there was a sadness there that ran deep. The empath felt her own face softening. Bee spoke earnestly. "My place is with my team in the East. I miss them too."

"I understand," replied Raven, feeling something in her gut. It was very much like her feelings about the other world, she realised. Sometimes it was hard to let go, but if you knew it wasn't where you belonged then you had to let go all the same. Even if it was incredibly painful. She reached out her free arm and touched Bumblebee's shoulder, giving her another smile. "And so will he."

"Thanks, Raven," said Bee, her eyes shining slightly. "You'll keep an eye on him, right?"

Raven nodded, giving Bee's shoulder a squeeze. "I always do. On all of them."

"Thank you," smiled the young woman, genuinely. She reached up and placed her hand on Raven's. They stood there for a couple of breaths, sharing full understanding each other in that moment. Starfire and Robin bustled into the room, and Raven's arm fell to her side. Bee followed suit as they turned to look at the other two Titans.

A lovely smell wafted into the room, causing the two young men to turn from their game. Robin gave a genuine smile, as Star floated past carrying stacked boxes. "Time for pizza, Titans!"

Everyone ran around to the kitchen and began filling up plates with slices. As they ate and talked, it was almost as though the events of the day hadn't occurred. Bee and Cyborg were inseparable for most of the evening. Raven and Beast Boy kept catching each other's eye and then smiling or blushing but didn't spend any time together, instead opting to be part of the group. Starfire recited some poetry to Bumblebee who looked at her in an alarmed way but thanked her all the same once all hundred verses were through. Raven could feel the tiredness coursing through her and she stifled a yawn.

"Thanks for a nice evening," she said, suddenly. She yawned again. "I'm going to head off to bed now, the tiredness is calling me."

Everyone nodded understandingly, and the empath gave a smile as she stood up and stretched slightly. "Bumblebee, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Don't leave without saying goodbye."

"I won't," smiled Bee, an understanding passing between the two women. Raven nodded and looked at the others with a smile on her lips before turning and departing ops without another word. Bumblebee smiled at the team. "Thanks for this evening, guys. It's been a good send-off."

"Don't mention it," stated Robin, returning the young woman's smile. "Thanks for helping us these past few months. We couldn't have managed without you."

"Yes, friend!" agreed Starfire, enthusiastically. "You gave light to our otherwise gloomy tower."

"Agreed," stated Beast Boy, simply. He met Bee's eyes and gave a smile. The young woman looked across the team. Cyborg was silent, a glazed look in his eyes but he smiled at her.

"Thanks," whispered Bee, her eyes full of tears. "I'll miss you. All of you."

There was a silence in the room. No one really knew what to say. Goodbyes were always hard.

"Robin, it is such a pleasant evening, would you take a walk with me down at the beach?" asked Starfire, suddenly. Her eyes indicated she knew that space was needed. Robin picked up on the heavy hint. He nodded and took the princess' hand. She gave him a thankful smile and they exited the room, saying goodnight to their remaining team mates.

"I'd better go see how Raven's doing," replied the changeling, also picking up on the Tameranean's hint. He stood up and walked over to Bumblebee. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "See you tomorrow, _honey_."

Bee picked up on his reference to the earlier joke and snorted. She patted him on his hand and raised her eyebrow. "See you, _loverboy_."

Grinning, the green man gave a rather baffled Cy a brief nod before departing ops and heading towards his room. Cyborg looked at Bumblebee with curiosity. "What was that about?"

"Oh, just an earlier joke," replied the young woman, skimming over it. "You know what Beast Boy is like. Always ready to tease me at any opportunity."

"Yeah, he's good like that," chuckled the cybernetic man, openly. "But then so are you."

"Hey, I give as good as I get," admitted Bee, smirking. Her expression changed to one of concern. "You've been quiet."

The metal man turned his face away from her and stood up. He walked towards the window and looked out over the city. It was dark, and he could see Robin and Starfire on the beach, walking hand in hand and talking. The stars were beginning to appear. Bee watched him, her eyes full of confusion. "Cy?"

"Yeah," he replied, unmoving from his position. She couldn't gauge his reaction, so she stood up and walked to the window. Standing next to him she glanced out at the beach and saw the two team mates. She gave a little sigh.

"They look happy," she stated, her voice filled with a strange sadness at her words. "They always look happy together."

"They do," responded Cyborg, his own dark eyes looking over at hers. She turned a little and met them.

"So, what's going on?" repeated Bee, frowning. "Talk to me."

"You're leaving. I'm sad," replied Cy, being partially truthful. "That's all, Bee."

"It's not," replied the woman, reaching up and touching his shoulder gently. "Is it?"

"Does it matter?" replied the cybernetic man, grasping her shoulder in return. "Me sayin' what I'm thinkin' isn't going to make leavin' any easier."

"I know," replied Bee, sighing dejectedly. "But say it anyway."

"I'll miss you," shrugged the man, his dark eyes glinting in the moonlight. He turned to look at Star and Robin again. "I just wish things were more straightforward for me, like they are for the others."

Bee looked out at the beach again, following his gaze. The two lovers were clinched together, sharing a kiss in the moonlight. She sighed again and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know what you mean."

She turned back to look at him, sadness in her own eyes. "But you know I have to go, Cy."

"I know," he responded, reaching out and cupping her cheek with his hand. "They need you."

Bumblebee nodded, solemnly. She gave a small smile, despite the tears pricking her eyes. "I wish you could come with me."

Cyborg laughed, sadly. He gestured towards the tower. "They need me."

They stood there for a while, looking at each other, memorising one another's faces. Holding onto the feelings they shared in that moment. Cyborg reached down and gave the young woman a gentle kiss on the lips. She returned it, sweetly. They broke apart a moment later and embraced deeply.

"Goodbye, Bee."

* * *

The door to Beast Boy's room opened to reveal the Azarathian standing at the window, looking out across the bay. The changeling looked at her strangely as he entered. "I thought you were tired?"

"I am," replied Raven, unmoving from her position. "But I just wanted to look at the stars for a while."

The changeling didn't say anything else, simply walking towards her and standing beside her. He touched the cool glass, pointing at the brightest star. "That's the north star, right?"

Raven nodded. "That's right."

"I remember my Mom teaching me that when I was little," Beast Boy revealed, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Back when we lived in Africa."

"I never knew you lived in Africa," replied Raven, a little surprised. She turned to look the green man. He rarely revealed anything about his childhood, and she felt honoured. "That sounds amazing."

"Well, it was in some ways," explained Garfield, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But I have good and bad memories. Spending time with my parents was always great but it also ended up with me being like this."

He gestured to his appearance then shrugged. Raven looked at him in the moonlight and smiled. "You look fine to me."

Garfield gave her a sideways look and grinned. "It's the ears, right?"

"Oh yeah," responded Raven, teasingly. "That's what it is."

He chuckled appreciatively, suddenly noticing her attire. She was wearing a form fitting black t-shirt and baggy shorts. "You're wearing your PJs, huh?"

"Yes. That okay?" replied the empath, turning and walking towards his bed. She sat down on the edge and folded her legs beneath her. "I'm sick of sleeping in my uniform."

"It's fine," responded the young man, shrugging. "I guess I'm just surprised. I never see you outside of your normal clothes."

Raven smiled and shrugged back, pulling her shins closer. "I never see you outside of yours. I guess that's normal for team mates, isn't it?"

"I guess. But we aren't just team mates now, are we?" pressed Beast Boy, moving towards her slowly. Raven gave him a blank look, as only she could.

"Friends?" she tried, deadpan. Garfield knew she was bluffing, her heart rate had picked up pace again. Her cheeks had a very faint blush on them. He sat next to her on the bed and looked into her lilac eyes. He raised his eyebrow.

"Just friends?"

Raven shrugged and lay backwards onto the bed with her arms above her head, her legs still folded beneath her. She yawned again. "Roommates?"

"Just roommates?" Garfield replied, onto her game now. He followed suit and lay back on the bed with his arms above his head. He stretched his long legs out over the edge and turned to her.

She looked back at him, half her face obscured by her arm. "Bunk buddies?"

Garfield snorted. "What does that even mean, Rae? Okay. Just bunk buddies?"

"For now," replied the young woman, turning sideways so she could look at him properly. "Or is there something else you would prefer?"

"I can live with it," smiled Beast Boy, his eyes glinting childishly. "If it means I can lie here next to you."

Raven's blush became more prominent, and she glared at him amusedly. "Don't push it, Gar."

He laughed and poked her nose playfully. Pushing himself to his feet, he walked around the bed and lay down properly. "You need sleep. Come on. You can barely keep your eyes open."

Raven yawned again as if on cue. She turned herself round so she was facing the correct way and pushed her long hair back, so it fanned out around her. "Garfield?"

"Hmm?" responded the changeling, turning the lights off. He lay back on the bed, and she felt his weight shifting. "What's up?"

"Thanks...for not pushing me too hard," stated the empath, quietly. The darkness made it easier to speak honestly to him, somehow. "I know how difficult it must be for you."

"No, it's not," conceded Beast Boy, smiling in the darkness. "I already told you, Rae. I just want to be with you, whatever that means. This makes me happy. Lying here with you, messing around with you. Even when you're glaring at me. I just like being with you. Especially since I know you feel the same way."

Raven noticed that warmth in her chest again. Her nerves were back, and she felt the bed shaking as her powers kicked in. Suddenly, she felt him reach out and hold her hand gently. Her heart slowed a little at his actions.

"Relax," Garfield said, quietly. "There's no need to be nervous around me anymore."

"Hey, who's the empath here?" asked Raven, sarcastically. She was secretly grateful to him for assisting her. He gave a little laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. You're just the second person to say that to me today."

Raven smiled, despite herself. She looked over towards where his figure was and shifted closer to him. She lay her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her, resting in the small of her back. She draped her free arm across him lazily and then yawned again. "I'm tired."

"Then go to sleep," replied the changeling, sounding a little parental all of a sudden. "I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

Raven felt satisfied at his answer and prepared to let the niggling tiredness envelop her.

"Cuddle companions," stated the lavender-haired woman, with the last of her energy. "How does that sound?"

"Perfect," laughed the changeling in the darkness, giving her a little squeeze. She felt safe in his arms, entirely trusting him to look after her as she slept. Beast Boy smiled. He couldn't believe that he was going to sleep with Raven in his arms. He felt like the luckiest person in the world. His eyes closed, and he drifted away into a peaceful sleep, forgetting the fraught emotions of the day.

* * *

The beach shone in the moonlight; the two young lovers walked hand in hand down the by the water's edge near the rocks. Starfire turned towards Robin.

"Do you think friend Cyborg will be okay after Bumblebee's departure?"

Robin sighed, giving the Tameranean's hand a squeeze. "I'm not sure, Star. It seems to have hit him pretty hard, doesn't it?"

"It does," she replied, her eyes shining slightly. She felt deep empathy at the idea of love being lost. "Perhaps there is some way they can make it work despite the gap?"

"Maybe," shrugged the boy wonder, uncertain about how that would work for the pair. Being a Titan was problematic at the best of times, let alone making time to meet someone across the other side of the country. "I think it would be difficult. Maybe they both know that, and saying goodbye is the best thing for now."

"Poor, _poor_ Cyborg," lamented the princess, fiddling with her long auburn hair. They stopped at the edge of the island and looked out towards Jump City. The lights were shining brightly. "We are so lucky to be able to be so close."

"We are," conceded the young man, looking over at her and smiling. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, her orange skin shining and looking almost golden. Her auburn hair fell around her face in a way that framed it perfectly. Her jade eyes shone, looking across at the city they were bound to protect. His heart felt full all of a sudden. "I'm glad you're here."

"I am too," responded Star, turning to look at her partner. His masked face concealed his eyes, but she knew they were looking at her with the same love that she was feeling in that moment. She reached over and kissed him passionately, her foot raising off the ground. He gripped her tightly, never wanting to let her go. But as they drew apart they remained locked in a tight embrace, looking into each other's faces adoringly.

"Richard," began Star, running her hand along his jaw with her thumb. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Anything," responded the dark-haired man, a little gruffly. Robin was still stuck in the passionate moment of the kiss, his body aching with desire. He tried to regain his composure as he noted the seriousness in her voice. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong," replied the Tameranean, releasing her grip a little so they were a pace apart with their hands interlocking. "I have just noticed something."

"Something?"

Starfire bit her lip and looked to the side, considering how to phrase what she wanted to say. "Friends Beast Boy and Raven."

Robin raised an eyebrow, but he had an inkling where she was going with this. "What about them?"

"Do they appear...different to you?"

"Different how, Star?"

"I do not know," sighed Starfire, releasing one hand and turning back towards the city so she could think. She was always so distracted looking at her love. "They seem as though they have grown closer. Today on the roof, Beast Boy was...what is the word? Inconsolable."

Robin nodded, running his hand through his dark hair and looking back towards her curiously. "Because Raven was in trouble?"

"Yes," replied Starfire, shrugging her shoulders. Her jade eyes were full of thought. "He said that he was scared of losing her again then he stated 'we've only just'..."

"Only just what?"

"I do not know, he did not elaborate," conceded the princess, tilting her head and frowning slightly. "But I told him that I thought he loved her. He looked surprised. It has left me feeling most confused."

Robin contemplated quietly for a while, the two standing in silence. The sounds from the city and the lapping waves were all that could be heard. Robin rubbed his chin gathering his thoughts.

"It's no secret that we've all noticed their attraction," began the boy wonder slowly. Starfire turned to look at him. "But it seems to me, they've both been so hurt in the past that they don't really know what they feel. Raven's always been afraid of her emotions and Beast Boy doesn't like letting his mask down very often. I feel like we rarely see the real changeling."

"This is true," agreed the redhead, nodding vehemently. "He is always using the jokes to hide behind."

"Yes, humour is his favourite defence," stated Robin, approvingly. "But beneath that, what do we really know about him? He never talks much about his past, he never shows many emotions, other than his happy go lucky front. No one is that happy all the time. There's only been a couple of times it's seeped through that I can remember; when we lost Terra and when he became the Beast. And who was there for him both times?"

"Friend Raven," nodded Starfire, her eyes gleaming. She seemed less confused than before. "It is possible she understands him in a way that the rest of us do not."

"They're so different to an outside eye but to us? They match up pretty well, really," smiled the young man, glad his detective work had paid off. "The only other time I've seen him upset was when she was in that coma. I don't know but...there may be more going on between them than we realise; you know how secretive they can both be. Especially Raven."

"Yes, I know what you are saying," grinned Star, turning back around to face Robin properly. "She is my best friend, and yet sometimes it is like getting the blood from the stone."

"She's an enigma for sure," laughed Robin, grabbing her other hand again. "But I am so glad to have her back."

"As am I," responded Starfire, gazing at Robin's face again. "We are a full family once more. If our two friends become adjoined it will be most joyous! But..."

"But?"

"But," repeated the Tameranean, her eyes flitting back towards their tower. "For our other friend to be surrounded by love may be...complicated."

"We'll get through it somehow," reassured the boy wonder, squeezing her hands then pulling her close again. "We always do together."


	21. Chapter 21 - Training and Learning

**Author's note:** **Hi everyone, apologies for my delay in uploading. Thanks for reading and reviewing all of you - over five thousand views, I can't believe it. It's been busy after Christmas, but I've still been writing so there will be regular updates as I promised. This chapter feels filler but is necessary for story progression (you will see :)) Have faith my friends and enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or anyone from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One – Training and Learning**

Raven woke up organically, feeling strange. Her body felt unusually warm, and she realised that she was still snuggled up to the changeling. She gave a small smile then wriggled free from his grasp. He was snoring softly, she could see his chest moving up and down in the half-light. She glanced over at his bedside clock and noticed it was 5.30am. Sighing, she swung her legs out of bed and wrapped her cloak around herself. She was wide awake and suddenly aware that she needed a glass of water desperately. Cursing the fact that she forgot to bring one in with her the night before, she stood up quietly and looked to the green shapeshifter one last time. He was still peacefully asleep, despite her movement. She phased through the door so as not to wake him, breaking her rule of conserving energy. She started down the long cold corridor towards ops, feeling the cool air against her legs. The door opened to reveal the room which was still fairly dark. Raven smiled, early morning was her favourite time of day. Not only was it peacefully quiet, but she liked the feeling of morning somehow. How it was the start of a new day. It left her feeling optimistic and refreshed.

Walking over to the counter, she reached up to the top shelf and grabbed a glass. Running the cold water, she put her hand under to test it before filling the glass to the brim. Sipping the cool liquid brought instant relief and she couldn't help but to let out a contented sigh.

"Couldn't sleep?" came a voice behind her, causing Raven to leap out of her skin for the second time in the past day. She spilled the water over her cloak, and put the glass down, shaking her hands out.

"Perfect," she growled, scathingly. Her eyes looked towards the sound, and she noticed Cyborg sitting on the couch. Her anger rescinded upon seeing his face. He looked gaunt and tired, with dark circles under his eyes. The empath's face softened as she reached out and sensed his pain. She stretched over and grabbed a towel, wiping herself and the side down from the spillage.

"I slept quite well, actually," she stated, in response to his earlier question. "But I've always been an early riser."

She put the towel down and picked up her glass, striding over to sit with him. She gave a little wry smile. "It's just you're not normally up to see it."

Cyborg gave a little laugh, but it was tired. His eyes fell to the ground. "Fair enough."

"Cy, have you been here all night?" asked the Azarathian, placing her glass down and turning to face him. Cyborg's eyes never left the floor, but he could feel her enquiring lilac ones resting on him steadily. He nodded. She persisted. "I know this is probably a ridiculous question, but are you okay?"

"Not even close," sighed the cybernetic man, reclining back on the couch and running his hands over his temples. "Just couldn't settle somehow. Decided to sit here and watch the city for a while."

Raven nodded, understandingly. She normally opted to go up to the roof to do that, but it was cold as winter was nearly upon them. Going up there at this time of day would prove freezing. Ops was a fair second place. "It's a nice view."

"Yeah," confirmed her metal companion, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "It is."

"Cyborg, I know there is nothing that I can say which will make you feel better," began the empath, softly. She touched his arm gingerly. "But I can listen if you want to talk."

"I don't really know what to say that you don't already know, little lady," laughed Cyborg, trying to keep his positive outlook. "You can sense my feelings, Raven. You know where I'm at."

Raven nodded and picked her glass back up. She took another sip and then spoke again. "True, I can sense how you're feeling, but I don't know what you're thinking. I'm your friend and I'm worried about you, powers aside. Bumblebee's departure is sad for everyone, but you are much more affected than any of us."

Cyborg looked at her sidelong, his dark eyes flashing at her perception. "It's true, I'm strugglin' with the idea of her not being here. But there's nothin' I can do. I think it's just the waitin' for her to go that's the difficult part. Knowin' she's gonna go in the morning hurts the most."

Raven nodded but didn't speak. Cyborg sighed and turned his head back towards the window. "Guess it's just harder seeing romance everywhere else. Makes you feel even more alone. Makes you think about what could have been."

"Cy," began the Azarathian, lowering her hood so she could see him properly. "You might miss Bumblebee. Your heart may be broken. You may think of all the things that should have been, that could have been. You may feel sad at witnessing the romance in those around you in the city and here. But one thing I can promise is that you are _not_ alone. You always have us, you always have family."

He turned to look into her defiant eyes, and they were filled with such deep care that his own tone softened slightly. He ruffled her hair, in his normal way. "I know that, sis. You know that you mean the world to me. You all do. It's just—"

"We can't give you what you and Bee had," interrupted the Azarathian, knowingly. Cy nodded, and she reached for his arm again. "I know it feels awful now, but it will get better. You will meet the right person, and you'll just know."

"But what if she _is_ the right person, Rae?" questioned the cybernetic man, imploringly. "What if I'm makin' a huge mistake?"

"If you want to make it work, then you will. If you two want to be together, then there's no reason that the distance has to be an issue," responded the empath, folding her arms. "What's more important is what you want. Once you both know that, figuring out the rest is easy."

Cyborg gave a small smile and shifted his gaze to the floor. "So, what you're sayin' is that her leaving now doesn't necessarily mean goodbye forever. The end of this."

"Not if you don't want it to," shrugged Raven, her eyes soft. A playful look came over her face. "Look, if I can overcome the prophecy to destroy the world, you can manage a long-distance relationship."

Cy let out a genuine laugh at his friend's statement. He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what it is about you, Raven. But you always know the right things to say."

"It's because I've been damaged so many times," responded the Azarathian, dryly. "You start to learn a few lessons after a while."

An amicable silence passed between them, as they both digested the conversation. Raven drained her glass as they sat pensively and fiddled with it absently in her hands. The sun was starting to rise above the skyscrapers.

"Morning's here," stated the empath, quietly. Cyborg nodded but didn't offer to speak. Raven took a deep breath and sighed. "I'd better go and get myself ready, I think Robin is going to drill me hard today. Think of all those practices I missed whilst I was snoozing."

"Uh oh," joked Cy, a little of his old sparkle back. "You're for it, girl. I'd run for the hills if I was you."

"If only it were that simple," responded the young woman, a small smile on her lips. "Oh, the joys of superhero living and Robin's morning training drills."

"I hear that," laughed the metal man, stretching his arms over his head. "Still, you gettin' all the flack at least gives the rest of us a break for a couple of days."

"You're welcome," responded Raven, sarcastically. She pulled her hood up and went to stand from the couch.

"Hey," said Cy, softly. Raven turned to look at him inquiringly, not raising to her feet as she had previously planned. He took a deep breath. "Look, I appreciate you sittin' here with me. Talkin' me through stuff. It's been really helpful, and I don't feel quite as bad as I did before."

"It's no problem," replied Raven, kindly. "You'd have done the same for me. You did yesterday. I wouldn't have got through that fight with Phobia if we hadn't had our chat."

"I'm glad I was able to help you out," smiled the cybernetic man, his eyes gleaming. "Raven, I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you're back. We've really missed you. All of us."

"I know," stated the empath, gently. She tried to be honest with her feelings. "You've all been great. Having such good friends is...important to me."

"You know, you seem a little different lately," observed Cyborg, tilting his head to one side and narrowing his eyes. "Somethin's changed in you. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I like it. It suits you."

Raven felt her face flush a little and wondered why. She swallowed back her emotions and took the compliment with a nod. "Well, we're all different now. In our own ways."

"That's true," conceded Cyborg, with a knowing smile. "I hope it wasn't too bad bunking with the green bean. I'll get your room fixed up today for you."

"That's kind," responded Raven, trying to keep her tone and breathing level. "It hasn't been too bad, it was nice of him to offer. Those medbay beds aren't the best thing for your spine."

Cyborg laughed openly, in complete agreement with the statement. "Well, anyway. You mean a lot to my pal, you know. He just wanted to look after you, make sure you were okay."

Raven felt her throat going dry again and managed a nod. She knew that Cyborg, like Robin, was fishing for information. She remained as clammed up as she could. Her monotone voice was in full force. "Well, anyway, everything will be back to normal soon. Azar knows I'll need my bed after the roasting I'm about to take from our fearless leader."

Cyborg laughed again and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Good luck, girl. I have full faith in you. Don't push it too hard, y'hear?"

"Yes, Dad," droned the empath, with a smile. She tapped his hand gently, and he released her. She placed her glass in the sink and sloped back off down the corridors. As the door swished shut, Cyborg turned and watched the sun coming over the buildings to its full height. The warmth made him feel a little better. He stayed there silently, letting the glow wash over him until it was high in the sky.

* * *

Beast Boy felt a cold breeze over him and stirred in his sleep. As his emerald eyes flickered open and focused, he realised that he was in his room. He looked across the bed and noticed that Raven was gone. His initial panic subsided when he remembered that she was feeling better and had probably gone out for a drink or to meditate. He sat up and glanced at the clock. 8am. That was early for him. Granted he woke up earlier than he used to as a teenager, but he would never be a morning person no matter how old he got. Yawning widely, he stretched himself and swung his feet out of the bed. His mind wandered over last night's conversation and he could feel a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn't believe that all those months of panic and fear had finally come to an end; that they had reached the conclusion he now found himself at. He sighed deeply and stood up stretching for a second time.

As he got dressed, he remembered that today was Bee's last day, and thought about his metal friend. Sadness pricked at his chest. It didn't seem right that he could feel so intensely happy and yet his best friend could be feeling so low. Garfield knew that he would need to support him over the coming days, just as Cyborg had supported him following Terra's departure, betrayal and eventual death. It was the least he could do to offer him the same in return. As he fastened his gloves and left his room, he decided to go in search of the cybernetic man to check he was okay.

Reaching ops, he saw Cyborg sitting on the couch watching the sunlight playing off the city. He didn't move as the changeling entered the room, so Beast Boy meandered over casually and sat down on the couch next to him. "Sup?"

"Not much, man," responded Cyborg, giving him a little smile. Garfield could see how tired and drawn his friend was, but he looked remarkably better than he had expected him to. "Just taking in some rays and chillin' for a while."

"Want some breakfast?" asked the shapeshifter, smiling hopefully. He turned his head and gave a wink. "I'll even make you pancakes with real eggs and milk."

Cyborg's eyes widened. He gave a mock gasp. "Do my ears deceive me? I do believe the little vegan has come to his senses at long last!"

Beast Boy laughed and gave his friend a shove. "No, I will _still_ be making myself some tofu ones, dork. I don't care how much you guilt trip me, I'm still not eating anything that comes from something I can turn into."

Cyborg gave a disappointed look and sighed deeply. "Dang. I gotta try moping harder. Alright, I tell you what, man. You make the pancakes, I'll make the coffee."

The changeling's eyes shone, and he gave a beam. "You're on."

* * *

Raven had dressed and prepared herself mentally for her training session with some quiet meditation. She'd had to use her powers for a second time to float into her room and find a safe space where she could meditate peacefully for a while. Her bed was dishevelled and covered in shards of glass and dust, but she could levitate above it with relative ease. Noticing her clock read 8am, despite the crack across the screen, she sighed and unfurled herself. Floating back across the floor to the door, she wondered if she might have time for a quick cup of tea before the session started. Robin hadn't been particular about a time. She guessed he was probably still with Starfire, so she might have a little longer than she had done in the past.

The door to ops opened, and a lovely smell wafted across her nose. The cybernetic man and the changeling were preparing breakfast. But there was a very strange thing occurring. There was no arguing. The empath placed her hands on her hips and cleared her throat. The two looked at her and both smiled simultaneously.

"Have I died and gone to heaven? Or is this just another coma?" asked Raven sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "Breakfast being prepared in _silence_?"

"Hey little lady! We're makin' pancakes," stated Cy, gleefully. "With real eggs and milk."

"Wow," stated Raven, brushing past them and filling her kettle. She had a small smile on her face, feeling the happiness radiating off them was making her feel content. "A monumental occasion."

"Well, obviously _I'm_ not having any. But I'll happily make them for my pal here!" exclaimed Beast Boy, clapping Cyborg on the back. "Tofu isn't for everyone, right?"

"That confirms it," responded Raven, leaning against the counter as her kettle started to boil. "I'm definitely dead."

The two young men laughed appreciatively at her attempts at humour. Cyborg turned towards her, wiping his hands on a towel. "You want somethin' to eat?"

"Pass," said Raven, putting her hands up but still smiling thankfully. "I've got to train with Robin this morning and I have the feeling that if I eat anything now it will be coming back to visit me before lunch."

"Fair point," nodded Cy, knowingly. "Just stick with the tea for safety then, huh?"

"Exactly," agreed the Azarathian, straining the teabag and clicking the bin open with her foot to dispose of it. "Has the boy wonder shown his face yet?"

"Not that we've seen," replied Garfield, whisking ingredients in a mixing bowl. "I bet he's still with Star."

The two boys exchanged glances and giggled. Raven rolled her eyes and took her tea over to the couch. "Like two school children."

"Oh, come on, Rae!" exclaimed Beast Boy, turning to face her. "Like you weren't thinking it!"

"No comment," said Raven dryly, but she had a little smile on her face. "It suits me either way; it means that we don't have to start at the crack of dawn and therefore I had time for a bit of meditation beforehand."

"Yeah, and we can get breakfast in beforehand," added Cyborg, humming as he flicked the coffee machine on. "What's he gonna get you doing today?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Raven, sipping her hot tea and feeling it soothing her. "He didn't say."

"Well, I hope he takes it a bit easy on ya," continued the cybernetic man, following her to the couch and sitting down. "You've been out of action for a while, it's not like you can leap back to full energy right away. Which reminds me, be right back."

Raven nodded as the half-robot departed the room briskly. She knew Cyborg was right, but she wanted to do something challenging. In honesty, sitting in bed recovering was boring her slightly. Meditation was one thing, but the Azarathian was _not_ a good patient.

The pan started sizzling as Beast Boy began making the promised pancakes for his friend. Raven looked over at his face, filled with concentration and noticed how much he'd grown up recently. She felt her heart thumping a little and tried to avert her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Cyborg to notice anything was different when he returned. As this thought crossed her mind, the cybernetic man re-entered the room tapping something into his arm. She looked towards him and sussed where he had been. "So, how's my room situation looking?"

"Good guess. Well, I surveyed the damage briefly and I think I can get it fixed up either by today or tomorrow at the latest. The damage looks worse than it is, really. I don't think I can repair that mirror, though. Sorry, girl," stated Cy, sadly. "Think you can manage 'til then?"

"Do I have any choice?" responded Raven, smiling. She continued drinking her warm tea and tried to keep her eyes away from Garfield. She could feel his shifting emotions and it was already impacting on her own.

"Well, I guess Bee's room will be free later on," shrugged Cyborg, his shoulders drooping involuntarily. "You could move in there until it's done."

"Oh, yes, I suppose so," stumbled Raven, not really sure what to say. She could sense the man's discomfort mixing with her own and felt a bit jumbled. In reality, despite missing her own space she'd been enjoying staying in the changeling's room. The realisation of this came as somewhat of a fright to her and she felt lost for words.

Beast Boy swore in the kitchen, having burnt himself on the pan. Raven knew he'd heard what had been said with his sensitive hearing, and that the burn had been due to a lack of concentration. She still forced her eyes to stay on Cy. It would seem from the response and sadness pouring off him that Garfield had also been enjoying their situation.

"How's it lookin', green man?" asked Cyborg loudly, over the sizzle. He appeared oblivious to the nonverbal communication occurring around him. "Smells good."

"Yeah, it's nearly there, dude!"

Raven continued drinking her tea in silence, being with her thoughts quietly and looking out of the window. She could hear the two talking in the background, as the metal man approached the changeling and they discussed pancake toppings. She enjoyed hearing the buzz of their conversation, strangely. It made her feel like she was really home. The ops doors opened once again, revealing Robin.

"Hey guys," greeted the dark-haired man, walking towards them. "Wow, that smells good. Oh no, is it tofu pancakes again?"

"Nope! Made special ones for my main man, Cy," grinned Beast Boy, proudly. "You hungry?"

Robin's eyes turned to Raven as expected. "Sorry guys, I've got plans with our other friend here."

"Morning, Robin," stated the empath, quietly. She drained the rest of her mug and stood up. Walking to the side and placing it down she stood in front of him expectantly. "I'm ready to go."

"So I see," smiled their leader, looking impressed at her enthusiasm. "Save me some pancakes then, guys."

"Unlikely," managed Cy, through forkfuls of syrup and pancake. "But I'll try."

Robin laughed at the two, before gesturing to Raven to follow him. He turned towards the door and she looked back at the other Titans. They gave her an encouraging thumbs-up sign and she raised her eyebrows in response. She smiled briefly. "See you, knuckleheads."

Turning away from her friends, she followed Robin down the corridor, wondering what was in store. Somehow, the empath had the feeling it was going to hurt.

Sweat poured off her brow as Raven panted heavily in the training room. Robin swung his staff round and stood up effortlessly. He barely even looked fazed by their encounter the empath noted, feeling frustrated.

"Impressive," stated Robin, putting his staff away in his pocket and walking over to a mini fridge. He pulled out a couple of water bottles and tossed one to Raven. She caught it in her hand and ripped the top off eagerly, gulping the contents down. The dark-haired man unscrewed the lid gently and took a swig. "You've maintained a lot more strength than I had anticipated. I guess your healing power served more purpose than we initially realised."

"T-thanks," panted Raven, rubbing the back of her hand across her forehead and taking deep breaths. She didn't _feel_ like she was in good shape in that moment, as she poured more cool water down her throat. Her breathing steadied. "I want to get back to full strength though, this _didn't_ feel comfortable."

"I know," replied Robin, looking at her reassuringly. "But, you were out of action for three months, Raven. You can't expect to be at a hundred percent straight away. A few days ago, you could barely speak."

The empath nodded, begrudgingly. She placed her now empty bottle on the side and turned back to Robin. "I haven't tried my powers properly in a while. I meditated this morning, and it felt like my body and soul were out of sync somehow. I want to try training there too; I want to try the simulator."

"You want to try the simulator?" questioned the leader, gingerly. "Raven...I don't want to overload you too much on the first day. Maybe we could leave it until tomorrow-"

"I want to try Robin," responded Raven, a determined look in her eyes. "I can't be in recovery training for weeks and weeks, we don't have the time. You know that."

Robin looked unsure, but he wandered over to the control panel anyway. Placing his water down, he fiddled with the buttons and looked down to see Raven standing in position. Her eyes were closed, two fingers upright vertically across her forehead. They pressed gently on her chakra, and beneath her closed eyes he could make out her mouth repeating her mantra. His gut told him this wasn't going to end well, but he wanted to honour the young woman's wishes. She had been through enough. Her words had made sense; they knew that time was of the essence, especially with the pending threat from Phobia's 'leader'. Sighing, he turned the dial down to the lowest setting and hovered his fingers over the start button.

"Ready, Raven?" he called, uncertainly. Her eyes flickered open and looked at him; steely and firm. She nodded, her face emotionless. Robin gave a thumbs-up and then pressed the button down hard. The machines whizzed into life, with various arms flexing into position.

Suddenly, an arm with a long, boxing gloved arm came flying down towards the empath, ready to strike. She flew out of the way deftly and levitated in the air, whispering her mantra before throwing her hands down purposefully. The glove was encased in black and snapped in half onto the floor. Her ears picked up a whirring to her right and she glanced over her shoulder. A square shape was flying towards her, having been catapulted from the side. Raven turned around, her eyes glowing white.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

The shape halted in mid-air and she lowered it to the ground. Lowering herself too, she landed softly and looked around herself for the next obstacle. That was when it happened. It hit her like a ton of bricks and she felt white light coursing through her head. She screamed and clutched her temples in pain. Robin's eyes widened at the sight and he ran towards her at full speed. A nasty looking device with sharp edges was headed towards her, and the Azarathian wasn't moving out of the way. She appeared frozen, clutching at her head in pain as Robin leapt towards her. He grabbed her in his arms and rolled out of the way of the machine. They landed outside of the arena, and he reached up hitting an emergency stop button located on the wall. Everything slowed and then screeched to a halt. There was smoke and steam in the air, as he looked at his teammate.

"Raven, are you okay?" asked the leader, looking concerned. He pulled her hood down so he could see her face and noticed that her nose was bleeding. Reaching into his utility belt he pulled out some bandages and wiped away the blood from her face. She had her eyes closed and wasn't responding, but her frown indicated she was having some kind of vision. He shook her shoulder and called to her loudly. "Raven, wake up!"

The lilac eyes shot open, and she took a gasping inhalation of breath as she clutched at the boy wonders cape in fear. He looked at her panicked eyes and began to sooth her. "Calm down, you're okay. I stopped the machine. What the hell happened down there?"

Raven was panting, her brow line beaded with sweat. She looked into Robin's face, her lilac orbs full of fright. "I saw something. A vision of the future."


	22. Chapter 22 - Visions and Prophecies

**Author's note:** **Wow, 22 chapters!** **Thank you all for reading as always. Not had too many reviews lately so not sure how these chapters are going down, if you have 2 minutes just to leave me one (even a guest review) I do read them all and they help me know that you are enjoying the story. Enjoy this chapter, we're moving the plot, but you may need to brace yourselves for a bit of impact.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or any of the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two – Visions and Prophecies**

Beast Boy and Cyborg were happily chatting together in the kitchen when Bumblebee wandered into ops. She looked tired and drawn; as though she hadn't had much sleep herself. Rubbing her eyes with her hands, she yawned sleepily.

"Morning all," she stated, sounding groggy. The two Titans turned to face her, and both smiled. She sniffed the air for a moment. "Something smells amazing."

"Pancakes," stated Cyborg, a little flatly. He pushed a plate towards her. "Want some?"

Bee nodded and yawned again, before grabbing a fork and sitting down on the stool next to Beast Boy. She prodded at the food with her fork before looking sidelong at the changeling. "Are these...?"

"No, they're not made of tofu and yes I'm feeling alright," responded the shapeshifter, lightly. He folded his arms. "From the way Cy's been shovelling them into his mouth I'm guessing they taste okay."

Bumblebee chuckled and took a mouthful before smiling and giving a little thumbs-up to Beast Boy, happily. She swallowed and then nodded appreciatively. "Good job, green man."

Cyborg poured out a coffee for the young woman. After all her months in the tower, he knew how to fix it as she liked it. Swirling the spoon around in the coffee, it tinkled on the mug. The rest of the room was hanging in a heavy silence. Beast Boy gave an awkward cough.

"So, uh, what are your plans for today?" he asked, carefully. He didn't make eye contact with his metal friend, instead focusing on the dark-haired woman as she ate her breakfast. "Are you staying for a while or heading straight out?"

"I'm not in a huge rush," she responded slowly, finishing her food and placing down her fork. She reached for her coffee mug and gave Cy a thankful smile. "But it is a long journey, so I'll need to get on the road at some point."

"I was thinkin' about that," said the cybernetic man, suddenly. The other two Titans turned to look at him. "I could fly you back in the T-Ship, if you want. Save you flyin' all the way back in your suit. We've not got anythin' planned for today, and these guys can always call me back if there's any problem."

Bee looked stunned for a moment before taking a sip of her coffee. It was almost as if it was steadying her nerves. "Um, sure. Okay. If it doesn't put you guys to a lot of trouble."

"I'll check with Robin, but I'm sure he'll be cool with it," shrugged Cyborg, nonchalantly. Beast Boy looked at him steadily. He knew that under the surface his friend was probably feeling just as jittery as Bee. He kept his thoughts to himself and gave a wide smile, as only he could.

"Sure," he added, clapping a hand onto Bumblebee's shoulder. "I'm sure it's the least we can do after you came to help out whilst Rae was out of action."

She looked over at him, her eyes full of uncertainty. Beast Boy knew that the journey there with Cy would be difficult for them both, but it was clearly something that his best friend wanted to do. BB would support that to the hilt, without any questions asked. He gave the young woman another reassuring smile.

She sighed a little and then looked back at Cyborg, a little blush on her cheeks. "Thanks, Cy. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," responded the cybernetic man, a small smile across his face. Bee took another sip of her coffee and looked around ops.

"Where are the others anyway?"

"Oh, well Raven and Robin are trainin' and Star is...hey where is Starfire?" said Cy, his eyes turning towards Beast Boy. He frowned. "We haven't seen her today, have we?"

"No, not yet," shrugged the changeling, looking over at the clock. It was unusual for the Tameranean to be the last to rise. "Maybe she's just tired from the fight yesterday or something. Robin didn't look too worried before."

"True," responded Cyborg, exchanging another childish glance with his friend. They both snickered again. Bee rolled her eyes.

" _Men_ ," she stated, scornfully. They ignored her; through choice or deafness, she wasn't sure. "Should one of us go and check on her?"

"If she's not out soon then probably," conceded Cyborg, his face becoming more serious again. "I know that Star feels things pretty deeply, she's probably sad about you leavin' is all."

Beast Boy nodded in agreement and began to clear some of the plates into the sink. Bumblebee nursed her coffee and sighed again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that today. Suddenly, Garfield turned around at lightning speed dropping the plates into the sink with a heavy crash. His eyes were filled with a panic. Cyborg turned around to look at him with concern. "Yo, B? What's up man?"

The changeling's green ears were twitching, and his nose was sniffing the air. Cyborg's concern became more severe as he stood up and gripped the shoulders of his friend. He spoke firmly. "B, tell me what's wrong."

"Raven," he stated, his eyes still filled with fear. Bumblebee jumped to her feet then lifted into the air, wings fluttering. Beast Boy pointed towards the training room. "She just screamed – we need to go see if she's okay!"

Without another word the three Titans sped out of ops and charged down the corridor as fast as they could.

* * *

The door to the training room burst open to reveal Raven clinging to the boy wonder with tears in her eyes. Robin was looking as shaken as it was possible for Robin to look; a bloodied bandage lay strewn on the floor and the room was filled with electrical whizzing and sparks.

Beast Boy surveyed the scene with a little horror, before turning to the dark-haired man. He tried to calm himself down as much as he could. His animal senses were raging, and it was taking all of his control not to make his primal shift into the Beast. He wanted to protect Raven more than anything. "What the hell happened? Rae are you okay?"

The empath looked over at the green man and then promptly burst into tears. She buried her head into Robin's cape, and the boy wonder looked at the other Titans in complete confusion, shrugging. Unsure what else to do, he patted her back gently. "She said she had a vision of the future, but I can't make any sense of what she's saying."

The broken pieces of metal were lifting into the air, encased in the empath's black energy. They swirled around the group as Raven sobbed heavily. Robin cursed the fact that Starfire wasn't with them; soothing team members was normally her thing. He sighed and looked towards the team slowly. "Maybe we should try to get her into ops, get her some tea or something. Calm things down."

Beast Boy's fists were clenched fully. He could feel his emotions pumping around his system. One in particular was causing him to veer close towards shifting in anger; his jealousy. Seeing Raven clinging to Robin like that was making his blood boil in his veins. Why wasn't she wanting to be close to him? To hold him like that?

Cyborg took one look at his friend and could tell exactly what was happening. The cybernetic man was older and a little wiser than his young friend. He could sense that the situation was being read entirely out of context and wanted to prevent the changeling from doing something he regretted. Reaching out, he placed his hand down gently on Beast Boy's shaking shoulder. "Come on man, let's go back into ops for a while."

With a firm grip, he steered the green man out of the room and down the corridor. He could feel the emotions pouring off him; they were almost palpable in the air.

"Take a deep breath man," he stated, quietly. "Let's go figure this thing out. We don't know what happened back there."

Garfield didn't speak, but he followed his friend's instructions and attempted to keep himself under control. He couldn't believe how this had made him feel, he'd never experienced such feelings towards anyone before. As the doors swished shut behind them, Bumblebee turned to Robin and could see him struggling with what to do with the Azarathian. She landed and walked towards them. Pulling at Robin's shoulder, she gestured for him to take a step away. The young man disentangled himself from Raven's grasp and Bee bent down towards her, taking her hand gently.

"Raven, it's Bumblebee," she stated, quietly. "I know you've just had a horrible thing happen, girl. But I need you to focus on my voice for a moment, okay? You're back here in the training room with me and Robin. You're safe. Nothing's going to hurt you right now, so just take a few deep breaths with me. In and out. In and out."

Strangely, the empath responded to the young woman's gentle tones as if in a trance like state. She began to take some deep breaths. As she did so, the equipment gently lowered to the floor and her lilac eyes flickered open to focus on Bumblebee's face.

"Bumblebee?" she questioned, uncertainly. "Is this real?"

"This is real," stated Bee, firmly. She squeezed Raven's hand and gently pulled her to her feet. "See? There's Robin."

Robin gave a small wave, from his vantage point. His brow was furrowed, a concerned look upon his face. Raven still looked a bit confused. "Where are the others?"

"They've gone back to ops," said Bumblebee, calmly. She started to encourage the young woman to walk forwards a few paces. "You were just panicking a little bit, so we all thought it best to give you a little space."

"Yes," stated Raven, her monotone voice returning. She wiped the tears away with her free hand and pulled her hood up automatically. "Yes, I see."

"Okay, so you're coming back," responded Bee, smiling. "I can see the normal Raven in there. Shall we go and sit with everyone else in ops?"

"Yes," repeated Raven, deadpan. She appeared her normal self again, apart from her movement being slightly shaky. The vision had clearly drained a lot of her energy. She turned her eyes towards the team leader. "Sorry I didn't complete my simulation."

"Don't mention it," smiled Robin, secretly relieved she had returned to normal. Before the other Titans had arrived, the empath had been garbling nonsense and he had become worried she had regressed into her coma state. "I'll go get Starfire and meet you there."

The two women nodded and began to walk slowly towards the door as the boy wonder departed the room. Raven turned towards Bee, feeling a little awkward. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, it's no problem," replied the young woman, kindly. "I've had a panic attack before and it's not an experience I want to repeat any time soon."

Raven shook her head, feeling her emotions receding slightly to more manageable levels. She swallowed and took a few more paces. "I had a vision."

"Robin said," answered Bumblebee, her eyes staring straight ahead. "You'd better wait until we get into ops to talk about it though."

"I don't think I _want_ to talk about it," muttered Raven, quietly. She closed her eyes and sighed. "These powers are a curse."

"Depends how you view it," shrugged Bee, as Raven turned to look at her. She glanced sidelong at the half-demon and grinned. "Well, look at it this way. The amount of people you help far outweighs those you damage with your powers. The responsibility weighs heavy, but who ever said that a hero's life would be easy? It feels good to help people, to save lives."

"True," replied the Azarathian, deadpan. "And sometimes I think that feeling things is more of a curse than my powers will ever be."

Bee laughed a little at her friend's cynicism. "Emotions are a paradox to you, aren't they, girl?"

Raven gave a nod, as they rounded the corner to the room where the rest of the team were assembled. "I don't think that will ever change."

"Good," replied the young woman, smiling as she reached up to open the door. "Because that's what makes you who you are."

Raven returned her smile, before turning towards the open door. She walked into ops, to see Cy and Beast Boy sitting on the couches in conversation. Bee walked past her and sat next to them, disturbing their chat. They looked round towards Raven.

"Feeling better, Rae?" asked Cyborg, trying to sound jovial. Raven nodded and sat on one of the stools, away from them. She kept her eyes averted from the changeling, sensing his anger. She sat quietly, her arms folded beneath her cloak. Bee looked at the two male Titans and shook her head, warning them off pushing her too far. The four sat in a heavy silence until Star and Robin walked into ops, hand in hand. Starfire looked tired and a bit frazzled, Raven noticed. She eyed the redhead with some concern, as she walked into the room and they all sat down. Robin turned to look at Raven.

"Raven, what happened back there? You said you had a vision, but then you started talking in a jumbled voice, I couldn't make out what you were saying."

"I know," conceded the empath, quietly. Her eyes were averted to the floor, her head tilted down. Starfire walked over and sat on the stool next to her.

"You are okay?" she asked, quietly. "Robin says you were screaming."

Raven nodded and looked at the Tameranean with sorrowful eyes. "I was."

"Friend, you must talk to us. Tell us what occurred. We are your friends, we wish to support you in your plight."

Raven sighed and turned to look at the rest of the team. All eyes were on her, and she knew that she couldn't escape the truth. She glanced back at Starfire's face, full of reassurance and kindness. She pulled her hood down and took a deep breath.

"I had a vision," she stated, quietly. "I think it was a vision of the future. Or the potential future. I'm not sure which. The timelines all get a bit...muddled in my mind. But there was a team of people, bad people. The initials I could see were...SS. I can't remember what it means. There were things. People. The Omega. A gorilla. A cheater. A stroke of death. Tomorrow. A massacre...a _monster_."

Raven stopped and shuddered at the memory of this last thing. The other Titans were in complete silence. Her disjointed words made little sense to them, but they stayed with her as much as they could. She looked at them all sadly. "The team were powerful. More powerful than we could ever wish to be. If this is the future, then we cannot beat them. They will take everything from us."

"Raven, who are these people?" asked Robin, feeling the concern rising in his chest. "What do they want?"

Raven's eyes looked at him. She had a sad smile on her face. "The world."

"Who _are_ they?" persisted the boy wonder, standing to his feet. "If we know who they are maybe we could—"

"We can't," stated Raven, shaking her head. "They are more powerful than you can imagine."

"I _won't_ accept that," stated the leader, slamming his hand down. "If this is a real vision of the future then I won't just give up. And neither should you."

Raven looked a little fearful and hurt for a moment, then drew herself up to her full height, raising from her seat. She pulled her hood back up slowly. "If my vision is real then they will come. As we are we cannot beat them. That is all I can tell you, I can't give you the answers that you are looking for."

With that, she turned on her heel and left ops. The other five Titans stared after her, speechlessly. Starfire looked between her boyfriend and her best friend, agitated. She didn't seem to know which one to follow. She stood to her feet walking a few paces towards Raven then stopping and turning towards Robin. There were tears in her eyes as she walked towards the group. "Friends..."

"It's okay Star, I'll go," stated Beast Boy, rising to his feet quietly. He walked towards the door and out of ops without another word. Starfire's eyes followed him then turned back towards Robin, full of sadness.

"Robin," she managed, sniffing some tears back. She put her arms around him and felt him shaking slightly beneath her. She knew it was his anger. "Please, be calm. We must try to be calm."

"I...I need some time to think," he stated gruffly, moving back away from her. He walked out of the room, his cape flowing behind him. Cyborg moved over and put his arm around Starfire's shoulders as she began to sob.

"Hey, come on now," stated the cybernetic man, comforting the Tameranean gently. "You know how he is at times like this, Star. Don't take it personally."

Bumblebee walked around the other side of her, rubbing her back soothingly. "He just needs some time to cool off, princess."

Starfire nodded and looked at the two Titans with a small smile of appreciation on her face. "I am sorry. I did not sleep so well last night. There was much on my mind."

"Don't worry about it," smiled Bumblebee, kindly. "Do you maybe want to go for a lie down?"

Starfire thought for a moment before nodding. "Perhaps you are right, friend. A little rest may do me good. I do not think I can process what friend Raven was saying, it is too much information for me at the moment."

"Me too," conceded Cyborg, concern on his face. "She was makin' no sense with all those riddles."

"I think she was just saying what she could remember," stated Bee, quietly. The other two looked at her. Bumblebee shrugged. "I don't know, but maybe she couldn't remember it all clearly herself yet."

"You are most likely right," responded Star, rubbing her nose and sniffing. "Our friend often has strange nightmares that are jumbled. Perhaps this was the same. We must give her the time to remember it fully. The sentiments felt real, however."

"She's just upset. We all are," replied Cyborg, giving her a squeeze. "You should get some rest. Me and Bee will clear up here and then I'll go look for Robin. I'm needin' to speak to him anyway. I was goin' to drop Bee back at Titan's East later today."

Star nodded solemnly. "I understand. I shall go to my room. See you later on, friends."

Without another word, she left the room. Her feet almost dragged behind her, sorrowfully. Bee turned to Cyborg and shuddered. "I hate seeing Starfire upset. It's like watching someone punch a kitten."

"I know, it doesn't suit her to be miserable," replied Cy, smiling a little. "She's right to be worried though, Raven and Robin buttin' heads like that always makes me nervous."

"They'll sort it out, I think," replied Bumblebee, evenly. She started to clear up some of the plates and pizza boxes from the night before. "It's just going to take some time to understand what happened."

"You're right," agreed Cy, helping her with the cleaning. "Let's get this stuff sorted and then get some rest. I'll catch up with Robin. It's probably best I do it alone."

Bee nodded understandingly and quirked her eyebrow. "You don't have to convince me, sparky. Villains? I'll kick butt all day long by your side. But angry bird-boy? You're on your own."

* * *

Raven stood on the roof taking some deep gulps of air. She could feel the tears pricking her eyes again. Why did Robin always have to be as subtle as a sledgehammer? The vision itself was difficult enough, without her being made to feel as though she had let the team down in some way by not having the answers he wanted. She wasn't giving up on the Titans. She just knew what she saw. She knew when they were outnumbered, outclassed, outmanoeuvred. This was beyond them, and the empath knew it. Being honest seemed like the right option.

The door clicked behind her. She didn't turn around, she knew who it was. There was no mistaking those emotions, those footsteps she knew so well. She didn't turn around. She couldn't face him.

"Rae," came the familiar voice, softly. "I know that you know I'm here, so you can stop pretending."

"What do you want?" she asked, a little colder than she had intended. His footsteps came closer to her and stopped a few paces behind her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. "I'm just getting some air."

"I can see that," stated the changeling, keeping his tone even. "I just wanted to check you were okay. Everyone's worried about you."

"I'm fine," responded the Azarathian, her fists clenching under her cloak. "I just needed some space."

"You're angry at Robin," corrected Beast Boy, firmly. Raven glanced over her shoulder at him, a little scorn in her eyes. He was right, of course. But she didn't want him to know it.

"I wanted space," she responded, defiantly. Her eyes were shining a little, he noticed. "Anyway, if anyone here is angry it's you."

"Is that right?" countered the green man, his face hardening slightly. "What makes you think that?"

"I can sense it," replied Raven, turning fully to face him. Her eyes were full of an emotion that the shapeshifter couldn't name. He looked at her steadily, his own eyes full of impudence. She tilted her head slightly. "I could sense it down in ops too. You're angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you," lied the changeling, although he was aware that dishonesty would get him nowhere. Raven was an empath after all. Despite it all, he felt his childish defences rising. "I'm just surprised you're so angry with Robin after you were clinging to him like that in the training room."

Raven's eyes widened in realisation and she lowered her hood. "Is that what this is about? You're _jealous_?"

"No," lied Beast Boy, again. He could feel the animal instincts writhing inside of him again at the mention of the emotion. "Should I be?"

"Of course not!" hissed Raven, ire now evident in her own voice. "I was clinging to him because I'd just had the vision and I was _afraid!_ "

"Well then tell me why," began the changeling, emotions overrunning any logical thought. He knew his voice was raising a little at each passing comment. He took a step towards her angrily. "Why was it when I came into the room you held him closer? You saw me, but it was like you didn't want me there!"

"No, you're wrong!" exclaimed Raven, taking a pace towards him. Her voice was fully raised and full of fury. "I did want you there, that was the problem! You were there, but you weren't!"

"What, so you're accusing me of not being there for _you_ now? I've done nothing but be there for you for the past few months!"

"You _know_ that isn't what I meant. You're trying to take everything I say as justification for your anger!" seethed the empath, gesturing at him wildly. She could feel her rage nipping at her from the inside, threatening to press her way out. "I knew you were there for me but I just I couldn't look at you! There was a reason for that!"

"Oh yeah?!" responded Beast Boy, folding his arms in anger and glaring at her disbelievingly. "What reason was that?"

"Because I'd just seen you die!" shouted Raven, tears staring to flow down her face. The changeling realised his mistake in an instant and felt the shame creeping over him. Her arms fell to her sides limply as she sobbed again. "In my vision I saw you die, and I couldn't save you."

"Rae, I—"

"No," sobbed Raven curling her arms around herself and stepping away from him. "No, I can't do this."

"I'm sorry, Raven," replied Beast Boy, reaching towards her as she recoiled away. "But I'm here, I'm okay. I'm not dead."

"Don't you see? This is why I can't do this! I can't do us! Look at what it's doing to me," replied the empath, half shouting and half sobbing. She was nearing hysteria. Everything on the roof was rattling and shaking with black energy. "How can I possibly allow you to get close to me? Losing you would destroy me! When I thought you'd died I couldn't control myself, Gar. I saw myself becoming everything I hate. That's why I was holding Robin. Because I thought if I didn't then I'd bring the roof down on top of us all!"

"Rae, listen to me," began the changeling, grabbing her arms and turning her towards him. The rattling around them ceased abruptly. "You can't let fear drive us apart. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. If something happens to me or to you...well, I'll take that risk; I'll deal with the consequences as and when it happens. But I don't want to lose you now because we're too scared to go any further."

"Gar—"

"No, just listen to me," stated Beast Boy firmly, silencing her with his hard tone. Her eyes looked down at the floor and not towards him. He took a deep breath. "Don't ask me to walk away from this. I can't. I'm in love with you."

Raven's eyes looked up to meet his green ones. They were filled with sincerity. That feeling she couldn't name; that was it. Love. It was more than care, more than affection that had been pouring off him these past few days. It was love. For her.

"I will love you whether or not you decide to give us a chance," continued Garfield, his eyes never leaving hers. "That jealousy I felt today was inhuman. I felt as though I wanted to rip Robin's head right off. The Beast was a moment away from clawing his way out of me. That's what I'm fighting with now...now that I realise how I feel about you."

He paused, taking a breath and trying to gauge her reaction. She was watching him silently, some tears still flowing from her lilac eyes. "But even then, even though this is bringing me more challenges than I ever thought were possible, I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't change having you in my arms last night. It just felt so right. Don't tell me that it didn't, because I know that you felt it too."

"I'm not denying anything," responded Raven, weakly. "But it's so much of a risk. Gar, you have to understand."

"Life is a risk, Rae," stated the changeling, calmly. "Every single day. We risk our lives. We've loved. We've lost. Friends, family, lovers. But I won't live in fear of life. And I don't think you should either."

He released his grip on her, his hands resting at his sides. "You need to think about what you really want. I won't force you to do anything, Raven. This is your choice. I've made mine."

Without another word he turned around and walked away from the roof, the door clicking shut behind him. Raven's eyes turned towards the city and she pulled her cloak around herself to keep out the cool wintery breeze. His words pounded around her head like a piston. She struggled to gather herself; it all felt overwhelming and intense. Taking a deep breath, she began to mediate, knowing that it would give her some space to process the events of the morning. Her heart was heavy and full as she whispered her familiar mantra quietly.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

* * *

Cyborg stood outside of Robin's room, tentatively. He knew that he needed to speak to the boy wonder, but experience told him that once his friend got into one of his moods it was like dealing with a dragon. He took a deep breath and bravely tapped on the door. There was no answer.

"Robin, it's Cy," stated the cybernetic man, quietly. There was still no response. "Come on man, open up. I know you're in there and I need to talk to you."

There was some shifting on the other side of the metal door and it slid open a little. Strangely reminiscent of the empath, the young man stood with a fraction of his face showing in the door, half his mask visible to the metal man.

"What is it?"

"Can I come in?" asked Cyborg, quietly. Robin sighed and slumped his shoulders before pushing the door open. Cy walked into the room slowly and moved the door into a shut position behind him. Robin walked over and sat at his desk, gesturing to his friend to sit down. Cyborg wandered over to the bed and perched on the edge politely. "What's goin' on, Rob?"

"What do you mean? I thought you wanted to talk to me about something."

"I do, and this is part of it. What was all that about back there with Rae?" responded Cy, firmly. He folded his arms and sat back a little. "Come on, man. We both know that this ain't you. I thought those days of flying off the handle at us all were behind you, after the whole Slade thing."

"I lost my temper," stated the dark-haired man, evenly. He folded his own arms to mirror Cyborg's body language and leant back against his desk. "That's all."

"That's not all, and you know it," countered the cybernetic man, disbelievingly. He knew that Robin was playing hardball and he was an old hat at this game. He knew what buttons to press. "You even pushed Star away. She was crying when you left. You made her upset with how you were actin'."

Guilt flickered across the young man's face and he winced at the realisation of what he'd done. His arms unfolded, and he rested his head in his hands, defeated. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you shouldn't have, but you did. So, let's talk about it," probed Cy, leaning forward onto his arms. "What's going on?"

"In honestly, I just felt like I'd failed you all," admitted Robin, a sad tone to his voice. "When Raven said that we were all destined to be beaten by that other team...I just lost it. Thinking that I'd let you down. That I was responsible for all of you getting hurt."

"We both know that would never happen," responded Cy, firmly. "You care about all of us so much, everyone knows that."

"I know but...is caring enough? What if I can't save you all?"

"Why is that your responsibility?" countered the half-robot, his eyes shining. "You're our leader and our friend, but it's not your job to save all of us. Never has been and never will be. But it is your job to lead us. Tell us what to do for the best. We rely on your good judgement, man, and back there...well that's where you truly let us down."

"You're right," conceded the boy wonder, his head hanging in shame. He looked up towards his friend. "What do I do to put it right?"

"Well...once everyone has cooled off, I would suggest you apologise," replied Cyborg, calmly. "Then, we'll move through it like we always do. But learn from it; let's not get pulled apart by somethin' like this. If what Raven said is true, then we all need to work together."

There was a silence as Cyborg paused. Robin appeared to be weighing up what had been said, and he gradually raised himself back up in the chair. He nodded, as he digested the information. Cy continued to speak, calm and low.

"Speakin' of Raven, you need to remember that it was only a couple of weeks back she was in a coma. The girl had a scary vision which she saw us all gettin' our butts kicked and who knows what else. She can't remember what happened apart from a few little cryptic details but it ain't her fault man. She saw what she saw, she was honest about it. We need to think about it, work it out. Not get mad at her 'cause she can't give us the answers we need, you know?"

"Yeah," agreed Robin, nodding along with what his friend was saying. His old persona appeared to be returning to him, slowly. "If there is something to this vision then maybe there's a reason she had it. Maybe we can prevent it from coming true. We did with the Trigon prophecy, why should this be any different?"

"Exactly, man," nodded Cy, glad that Robin was starting to get some of his old, rational sense back. "So, we need to all calmly talk things through, make some notes, do some research. Train smart, work to our strengths. Develop our weaknesses. Fight with our minds not our bodies."

Robin nodded again, before drawing in a deep breath. "That sounds like a good plan to me. But first, you're right. I've got some apologising to do."

"Sure," said Cy, patting his friend on the shoulder as he stood up. "Listen, I need to ask you a favour."

"What do you need?" asked Robin, looking at his friend curiously. "Some equipment ordering or-?"

"Nah, man, nothin' like that. No, I was wonderin' if I might be able to take the T-Ship this afternoon to give Bee a ride home. Seems the least we can do to help her out after she gave us support whilst Rae was recoverin'."

"Yeah, sure," replied Robin, his mind clearly elsewhere. "Any problems you turn the ship around and come back."

"Of course," smiled Cy, glad that their leader had agreed to his small request. "I'll be there and back as quick as I can be."

"Alright then. I want to plan some things out, get my head straight again. I'll see you a bit later," said Robin standing up, as Cy walked to the door. "Hey, thanks for the talk, man."

"Yeah, no worries," grinned Cyborg, offering his fist for a bump. Robin smiled at him and bumped his own fist against his friends. "See you later."


	23. Chapter 23 - Sure and Certain

**Author's note: ****Chapter 23 – how did we get here?! That's not the chapter title! Sorry it's taken a little while to update, I work 5 jobs so it's manic at the best of times. But don't panic, I've got a few chappies in the bag, just getting them ready to upload takes me a while (I like to make sure they're right for you guys!) :)**

 **Responses for the lovely Reviewers:**

 **Sanzojoe:** **You are so kind, I'm glad you're enjoying it!** **Matt-Robinette:** **Nope! Good guess though!** **Malcolm7281:** **Amazing guess, but still nope!** **Guest reviewer:** **Whoever you are, thank you kindly :)**

 **Thanks again to all of you that are reading. All good guesses as to the mysteries of Raven's vision, but no one is quite right yet...the plot will thicken over the next few chapters. This is an extra especially long chapter. Plus, some extra special fluffiness for being extra special readers. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any of the DC Universe characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three – Sure and Certain**

Raven lowered herself to the ground and took in some deep breaths of air. Her meditation had left her emotional state much healthier, although she felt far from okay. Her argument with Robin followed by her argument with Beast Boy had left her feeling strange. She knew that Bee would be leaving soon, and she wanted to go and say goodbye to the young woman before she did. Sighing deeply, she trudged down the stairs to the tower, making her way back towards ops.

The doors opened and revealed that no one was there. Raven was slightly surprised at this, as she usually was the last one into the room on any given occasion. Despite their earlier disagreement, it seemed strange that no one would be here. She wandered over to the kettle, deciding to make some tea to warm her up. It had been chilly on the roof, and her hands felt numb and sore. Fumbling with the teabag, she managed to place it in the mug. As she waited for the kettle to boil, she wandered over to the window and looked out over the bay. There was no one outside, but it looked like a peaceful morning in Jump City. That made a change. She gave a small smile at this realisation. The kettle clicked, and she wandered back towards it to make her warm tea. Cupping the mug, she strolled back over to her vantage point and sat on the floor, enjoying the peace and quiet.

It didn't last for too long, as the door to ops opened with a whoosh. She turned her head to see Bumblebee walking in with her luggage. She dropped it down onto the floor near the door before wandering into the room fully. Her eyes located Raven and she gave a smile. "Hey, girl."

"Ready to go, I see," responded the empath, dryly. She turned back towards the window, as Bee walked over to join her. She plopped down onto the floor and cast her own eyes out across the city.

"Yeah, I decided I might as well get ready. Cy's giving me a lift back in the T-Ship, if Robin gives us the okay. Figured I might as well prepare myself."

"That makes sense," nodded Raven, sipping her tea and lapsing into silence. She contemplated whether the girl meant prepare herself physically or mentally. Perhaps it was both. They stared out across the ocean quietly for a while, before Bumblebee turned towards her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," admitted Raven, folding her legs beneath her and straightening her back. "I managed to take some time to meditate on the roof."

Bumblebee's brow furrowed a little as she wondered whether the changeling had spoken with her, but she decided not to pry. She opted for a safer option. "I'm glad you're feeling better. It sounded like that vision was a whole lot to take on."

"It was," agreed Raven, her eyes narrowing a little at the memory. "Just need some time to work it all out."

Bee nodded and turned her eyes back out towards the city. A few more silent moments passed before she spoke again. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. You did make me promise not to leave without saying it. So, there it is."

"I did say that," conceded Raven, turning towards Bee and giving her a small smile. "But I don't think it's a forever goodbye. More like, see you later?"

Bee nodded and smiled back at the empath. "I'm glad you're back where you belong."

"And I'm glad you're able to go back to where you do," responded the lilac-haired woman, putting her tea down. She placed her left hand onto Bee's shoulder. "But you'll always have a place here with us."

The dark-haired woman blushed a little but reached up and patted Raven's hand gently. "Thanks, Raven."

"Don't mention it," responded the Azarathian, releasing her grip with a final smile. They sat in silence together, amicably. Several minutes passed before Cyborg walked into the room. He saw the two women sitting together looking out over the bay and gave a small smile. He walked towards them.

"Hey ladies," he stated, as they turned to look at him. "Bee, Robin has okayed your ride. We can leave when you're ready."

"No time like the present," replied the young woman, pointing to her bags. Cy turned to see what she was gesturing at and got the idea. She smiled. "You go pack up and I'll swing by and say goodbye to everyone. Raven and I have just said ours."

The empath nodded and gave her cybernetic friend a small, sad smile. Cy nodded at her, and she turned back towards the window, raising her mug to her mouth. "I'll watch you off through here."

"Take care, Raven," stated Bee, standing up and walking towards the door. Cyborg was a few paces ahead of her fiddling with her bags. "See you soon."

Without another word, the pair left the room and ops was once again bathed in silence. Half an hour passed, but Raven didn't leave her position on the floor. The clock was almost at midday. She pushed her now cold mug to one side and stretched her legs out in front of her. The T-Ship suddenly came into view, rising into the air before shooting off towards the Titans East base. Raven watched it fly away until it became a tiny black dot then vanished. She sighed a little and collected her mug before pushing herself to her feet. She knew that she needed to go and locate the others. Things were far too quiet, even for her. She placed her mug in the sink and leant against the counter. There was one person she knew she needed to speak to more than the rest, right now. The emotions pouring out of their room was becoming unbearable. Slowly, she walked out of ops, her midnight blue cloak billowing behind her.

* * *

Knocking on the cold, metal door, Raven was surprised that there was no response. She furrowed her eyes and let her senses reach out. They were definitely inside, the sadness pouring off them like a waterfall. They were alone, too. Sighing, she phased through the door and into the darkened room.

"Hey," she stated, quietly. There was no response. She took a few paces towards the figure that was huddled on the bed. "Kori, it's me."

Starfire's eyes glowed green in the darkness as her head shot up in shock. The Azarathian surmised that she had either been asleep, or in some kind of trance like state. Her eyes softened when she saw her friend, and the green glow died away leaving her jade eyes. They looked tired and raw. Raven winced at the sight of her.

"You okay?"

"No, friend," conceded the Tameranean, pushing herself into a sitting position on the bed. She wore her heart on her sleeve most of the time, so it seemed as though there was little point trying to mask her emotions. She sighed deeply. "I am far from fine."

"Star...listen, I'm sorry I shouted at Robin," stated the empath, her lilac eyes shining in the half-light. She let her head hang slightly. "I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't feeling like myself."

"Friend, no apologies are needed. Robin was being...difficult," replied Star, her eyes filling with tears. She glanced towards her friend, kindly. "I am certain he did not mean to do the shouting at you either."

"I know," smiled Raven, her own eyes filled with sadness. "Sometimes we all say things we don't mean."

"This is true," replied Starfire, attempting to give a small smile to her friend. "I am sorry that you have found me in this state of being."

"This is more than just me and Robin arguing isn't it?" asked Raven, narrowing her eyes. "What's the matter, Star?"

"I am not really sure why, but friend Bee's departure has made me feel sorrowful," shrugged Star, wiping her eyes with her hand. "The effect it has had on friend Cyborg is unbearable."

"He'll be okay, Starfire," reassured the empath, touching her friend on the shoulder gently. "We'll all take care of him."

"But imagine loving someone so much and having to say goodbye," sniffled the Tameranean princess. "It is intolerable. I wanted to hold friend Bumblebee and never let her leave."

Raven grimaced at her best friend and stood up from the bed. She pushed the curtains away from the window and let some light in the room. "I can't believe I'm saying this but...come on, we're going out."

Star blocked the light from her eyes with her hand and squinted towards the Azarathian. "Where are we going to, friend?"

"Anywhere," smiled Raven, pulling her hood down. "I've been stuck in the tower for months now. You're not yourself. We should get out there, get some space. Things will seem different with some distance."

Star pushed herself off the bed and stood to her full height. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and squeaked. Rushing to the table she grabbed a brush and dragged it through her scruffy hair desperately. Raven walked over and grabbed her friend's boots and handed them to her. Star turned and gripped them thankfully, pulling them onto her bare feet. Without another word, the two remaining female Titans walked out of Star's room and left the tower by way of the roof.

Raven's conservation of energy rule had gone out of the window. Her desire to leave the tower was twofold; firstly, to give her friend some headspace, secondly, and more selfishly, to put some space between herself and the changeling. She couldn't face him at the moment and she didn't know why. As they flew through the brisk air, Raven could feel Starfire's spirits lifting. Nothing quite gave the Tameranean joy like a good fly outside; she took great pleasure in energising herself with the sun's rays. She had a small smile on her face as they went towards the heart of the city. People below them were pointing up towards the air as they went by. Starfire waved jovially at them, as Raven glided silently at her side. They landed in the local park and rested on a bench for a few moments, trying to decide what to do.

"Raven, where would you like to go?" asked Star, stretching her arms out. Despite the cool weather, she still sported her normal skimpy outfit. The cold didn't seem to bother her, for some reason. "We could go to the mall of shopping, one of your bookstores, perhaps get some earthly coffee?"

Raven looked around herself at the other normal people in the park and felt a slight twinge of jealousy. She'd love to be that normal again, just for one day. Memories of the other world flickered through her mind. She looked over at her friend. "Could we maybe go for a walk?"

"A walk?" questioned the Tameranean, tilting her head to the side. "Why not fly friend, it is much faster!"

"I don't want to walk to anywhere in particular," stated Raven, calmly. She pointed towards other couples and children walking around the paths in the park contentedly. "I just want to walk around. Take in the fresh air."

Star still looked a bit confused, but she was happy to be out and about. She smiled a little and stood up. "Then we shall walk. Following the paved path, yes?"

Raven pushed all Wizard of Oz quotes out of her mind and followed suit, pushing herself to her feet. "Right."

"Where do they lead?"

"I have no idea," shrugged Raven, uncertainly. In truth, she'd never just walked around the park before. Strange as it may sound, it was not something that she'd ever _thought_ to do before. She noted the comical nature of the situation; two aliens trying to understand how to walk around a park. She shook her head. "Let's just go with it."

They started to pace along down the path in the winter sunshine. Starfire's usual beam had returned to her face and she was looking around at the people and sounds around her. A few people recognised them, but no one approached the pair much to the Azarathian's relief. Raven was glancing at the wildlife; the trees that were starting to shed their leaves and the little birds that were still singing hopefully. She looked at them full of awe, as if seeing them for the first time. After a few minutes, it seemed as though they were part of the rest of the normal civilians enjoying what the park had to offer. It was peaceful bliss.

"Friend, this is most joyous!" exclaimed the Tameranean, feeling her spirits lifting. "I am glad you suggested leaving the tower for a while."

"Me too," conceded the empath, watching some ducks on the lake. "I needed the space as much as you did, in truth."

"Is that so, friend?" questioned the princess, tilting her head. "I am sorry, in my earlier state I did not even enquire as to how you are feeling."

"It's okay," responded the Azarathian, sighing deeply. "I'm just a little shaken by what happened earlier."

"You mean the vision you experienced," clarified Starfire, looking over at a group of screaming children chasing a ball. She glanced back at her friend. "It sounded the scary."

"Yes, it was 'the scary'," confirmed Raven, trying not to smile at her friend's strange inflection. "I don't like seeing you all get hurt; reality or otherwise."

Star's eyes softened, and she looped her arm through Raven's. "No. I wouldn't have liked that either, friend. Tell me what you saw again. It is only us girls now, and I want to know more. If I can experience it, understand it...perhaps I can be more – what is the word?"

The princess paused, bouncing along next to her friend. "Empathic."

Raven bit her lip beneath her hood. She wanted to talk to her best friend more than anything; Starfire was always so easy to talk to. But she didn't want to revisit the vision again, in case her emotions played up in front of the innocent people around her. "It's not safe for me to talk about here, Star."

"I see," replied the Tameranean, looking around at the multiple families that were around them. "You are thinking of the folk of the city?"

"I am," confirmed Raven, her eyes also scanning the park. Everyone looked so happy; so blissfully unaware of their conversation. "But I promise you that we can talk about it another time."

"It is, as they say, a deal," smiled Starfire, her eyes wrinkling at the edges. She looked forward again, as they continued to pace in silence. As their arms were still joined, their footsteps echoing in perfect unison along the paving. "Well then, perhaps I may speak with you about something else instead?"

"Sure," responded the empath, curious but also nervous. This sounded cryptic, even for her alien companion. Their route had taken them around the far side of the lake and there was a nice bench overlooking the park that was quiet and vacant. "Shall we sit for a while?"

"A good idea," smiled Star, releasing her friend and turning to the seat. She stretched her long legs out and leaned back against the bench, raising her face to the sunshine. "Friend, I wanted to ask you something, but I do not want you to become angered with me."

"Why would I be angered—I mean angry with you?"

Star turned her head towards her friend, her eyebrow raised. "Am I really needing to answer that question?"

Raven considered her comment, and then shrugged. "Fair point. Alright, what if I promise not to show my anger, even if I feel it?"

"Agreed, if you are able. Perhaps also tell me if I have done the overstepping of the mark," added Star, turning back towards the sunshine. "If you are feeling the rage, tell me. I will stop if you do."

"That sounds reasonable. You've known me a long time, Starfire. Whatever it is you want to say, know that I value your friendship, and even if I am angry with you I'm sure we can work it out."

"It is about friend Beast Boy," began Star bluntly, her eyes closing as she bathed in the sun's rays.

' _Then again, perhaps not,'_ thought Raven dryly, her heart leaping into her chest at the mention of his name. However, playing the monotone goth was her forte, so she took a deep breath and prepared her response. She gave herself a mental warning. _'Stay cool.'_

"What about him?"

"Well, you and he have become close over recent times," began Star, feeling her words coming out uncertainly. She wasn't entirely sure she was doing the right thing in being honest with her friend. But she had some sense that Raven needed to hear what she had to say. "As you rightly say, we have been friends a long time and I have noticed you acting differently towards him somewhat."

"In what way?" asked the empath, her heart now hammering like a freight train. She could lie to Robin. She could fool Cyborg. But Starfire was something else entirely. She had a bluntness combined with a naivety that knocked Raven's usually sure footing askew.

"Just certain things I am noticing. The way you look at him, the way you speak with him," continued the Tameranean with her eyes still firmly closed, not looking at the Azarathian's own inquisitive lilac ones. "You even have become more relaxed with him touching you."

"I've become more relaxed with all of you touching me," countered Raven, realising how strange that sounded if taken in the wrong context. "What I mean is, since Trigon I've experimented with being more open to physical contact."

"Yes, this is true," conceded Star, now opening her jade eyes and turning them towards her friend. "But with him it is different. Your body language changes. Your face blushes."

"I most _certainly_ do not blush!" growled Raven grumpily, despite her earlier promise. Her heart was pounding in her ears now, adrenaline rushing around her system. Starfire was pushing buttons far too easily. She looked away from the princess and took some deep breaths, counting to ten. "I mean to say, if I were to blush it would be due to discomfort and nothing more."

"Friend, why are you lying to me?"

Raven turned towards Star, her mind trying to race for an answer. The kind, jade eyes were staring at her imploringly, searching for an answer. She tried to keep her tone even. "I'm not _lying_ to you, Starfire."

"You are bending the truth then," said the young redheaded woman, sitting upright and turning towards Raven. Raven looked away again. Star tilted her head. "This means I am right, but you do not wish to talk about it, correct?"

A classic example of how the Tameranean was not as dim-witted as she wanted others to believe. This was not the first time that Raven had witnessed her precision first hand. She sighed and looked at her hands, awkwardly. "Star look, I will say something honestly to you. I's not completely to do with me hiding things from you. I don't know what I'm thinking or feeling at the moment where Beast Boy is concerned. I'm not even ready to share that with him let alone anyone else."

"I understand," nodded the princess, slowly. She couldn't help herself in letting one more statement out of her mouth. "But if you were to allow yourself to fall in love with someone, you would see how wondrous it truly is."

Raven's eyes looked back towards her friend. She was practically glowing with love, her golden skin exuding it from every pore. Raven wished she could be just like her friend, but she knew they were like night and day. "Starfire, I'm not you."

"You are not," agreed Starfire, reaching out her bright, orange hand to grab Raven's grey, pale one. "But as you said to me some months back, that does not mean you are not deserving of the happiness."

"I did say that, didn't I?" groaned the empath, giving her friend's hand a squeeze. She could feel her barrier's cracking beneath the Tameranean's gentle probing words. She sighed deeply, again. "I _want_ to tell you everything, but I'm scared to tell anyone. It will feel too real then."

"But friend, if you talk about it then it may clarify it in your mind," countered Starfire, looking at her friend's sad face. "You are hurting, I can see this. Did you have the arguments with Beast Boy? I know he came to find you this morning after your quarrel with Robin."

"He did," nodded Raven, feeling tears pricking her eyes. Starfire noticed this and wrapped her arm around the empath's shaking shoulders. Raven could feel her barriers going down and was trying hard to put them back up. But she was tired. Star was so kind. Reluctantly, Raven gave in to her emotions, for once. Maybe she could be a normal young adult, just for a while. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and she snuffled. The truth came tumbling out of her like a river. "We fought. I told him that I saw him die and how much it upset me. He told me he loves me. I don't know what to do with that."

Star kept very still, hugging her friend close to her as she cried. "Was this admission out of the blue?"

"Not really," admitted Raven, her cheeks starting to burn beneath her hood. She could feel the bench shaking beneath them and the trees creaking menacingly. Star kept soothing her and keeping her calm as she talked. "Since I woke up we've got to be closer and closer. We've kissed a few times. Last night I slept in his arms. Today I was pushing him away. I know I'm giving him mixed signals, Star. My feelings for him are strong, but it's just _too_ much of a risk. I don't want to give in because once I do...I know there's no going back."

"But if you do not, then you may lose him," countered the Tameranean, patting her friend on the back gently. "If he loves you, then it seems that he is willing to take risks for you. But you are not willing to take risks for him. Why?"

That was a good question. Similar to the sentiment the changeling had expressed to her on the roof. She wasn't sure she fully knew the answer off the top of her head, so she sat quietly giving it some thought. Suddenly it began to dawn on her. "I took those risks in the past. They didn't pay off. I got hurt and it was too painful. I don't want to go through that again."

"Come now, friend. Surely you cannot compare friend Beast Boy to Malchior?" queried Star, annoyance in her voice at the mention of the dragon's name. "He is nothing like that _clorbag varblurnelk_. Besides, he has also been the hurt, has he not?"

Terra; it was true. Raven had made this connection between them before, as she was certain many others had. So how had Beast Boy been able to overcome his feelings of betrayal and let her in again? He did say that the reason he had tried to run on the day of her accident was because of _those_ feelings. Perhaps he had just moved through them more quickly than she had. She rested her head on Star's shoulder. "Star, what should I do?"

"I am not going to tell you what to do, friend," replied the Tameranean, firmly but kindly. Her voice softened a little. "Your life is yours to lead. However, I would say that I do not think you would find a more sweet person than our Beast Boy. I can tell that he really thinks so much of you. All of those years he has spent trying to get you to laugh and smile. The many hours he has invested into getting to know you. His support for you throughout all of your plights. His sadness when you were in the coma, and all he did to rouse you. You could most certainly do worse than him."

Raven let Star's words sink in and she felt her tears subsiding slightly. What if it really was that simple? What if she let herself be with him; to take that risk? Pushed through the discomfort as he had? What if she could wake up in his arms every day like she did today? Warmth spread through her body at the memory of his strong arms around her, making her feel the safest she had in her whole life.

Reality came tapping on her shoulder, filling her head with questions. _'But...what if it doesn't work out? What if he leaves me? Hurts me? What if he dies and I am left alone again? What if he dies and I lose control killing everyone else?'_

The what-ifs span around her mind until she wanted to smack herself upside the head to shut them lifted herself from her friend's shoulder and sighed deeply. "I think I need to consider this a little more."

"It is a big decision, friend," agreed Star, removing her arm and standing back up again. "Please know that I am always here if you wish to speak about it. Thank you for being honest with me, I am most grateful."

Raven nodded and also stood up, adjusting her hood and wiping stray tears from her face. Fear settled itself at the pit of her stomach, accompanied by sudden shame at her outburst. She needed reassurance. "You won't tell anyone, will you, Star?"

"Of course not!" laughed the Tameranean, starting to walk down the path. She winked amicably. "Like you even need to ask that, my friend. That is what the girl talk code is all about. Now, let us go and get some ice cream."

Raven gave a small smile and pushed her barriers back up. Perhaps she could pretend to be normal for a little while longer. "As long as I can have mint choc chip."

Some hours later, the two young women returned to the tower in much better spirits than they had left. The sun was starting to go down by the time they landed back on the roof. Raven felt her spirits following suit and lowering inside her at the realisation that she now needed to face reality. Robin's anger. Cyborg's grief. Beast Boy's love. All of which terrified her in equal measure, but especially the latter. Sighing, she trudged after her friend. Starfire noticed her mood shifting and paused, turning to look at the empath.

"It will be alright, friend," smiled Star, reassuringly. "I shall go and speak with Robin. See how the land is lying. You may do as you wish, but I suggest at least making the friends with Beast Boy. Cyborg should be returning soon, and I am imagining he will need our support."

"Why do you _always_ have to be right?" moaned Raven, dramatically. Starfire giggled, and gave her friend a playful shove. Raven gave a small smile and shook her head.

"Go and see your boyfriend," she stated, quietly. "I'll...see what I can do."

Starfire nodded, then paused for a moment. "Friend. About the vision...I have not forgotten. But perhaps for today, we needed to step away from it."

"Yeah," agreed Raven, nodding. She gave a mischievous glance to her best friend. "It was pretty fun pretending to be normal for a while, wasn't it?"

"It was nice," conceded Star, nodding. "Perhaps we can do it again another time."

"I'd like that, Kori," said Raven, her eyes full of genuine meaning. Without another word, the two young women turned and walked down the stairs to the tower.

* * *

Raven hesitated by the changeling's door. She paced up and down the corridor a few times, thinking about what she wanted to say. What she wanted to do. It was like a conundrum to her. When she thought about him her heart did somersaults. In her mind's eye he had changed. He wasn't her gawky, goofy, green friend Beast Boy anymore. He was Garfield; mature, kind, funny and attractive to her twenty-year-old eyes. She wasn't certain when this change had happened, but it was there, and it wasn't going anywhere.

Azar, but the risks. The sensibility flew around in her mind. It was like a pox, she couldn't stop herself weighing up everything frantically. Even her chat with Starfire hadn't solidified a clear answer in her head.

The young woman growled slightly, growing impatient. She was wearing a hole in the floor, the amount of pacing she was doing. All that was happening was that she was winding herself up to such a degree that she wanted to scream and explode with anger and frustration. It was no good. She just needed to face the music and try not to think about the horrible vision she had experienced. Starfire was right. At least for today, she needed to try and sort out the other thoughts and emotions within her.

Taking a very deep, steading breath she raised her hand and knocked. There was some movement behind the door. "Yeah?"

"It's me," came Raven's quiet voice, much smaller than usual. She cursed herself for not feeling more confident. There was a hesitation for a moment, before she heard the door mechanism unlock. She looked at the green man in front of her and felt her heart pounding. His ears twitched, she knew that he had sensed it too. Concern came over his face.

"Are you alright?"

Raven didn't have a straight answer for him. She swallowed and looked into his emerald eyes, slowly. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Of course, come in."

The changeling walked back into his room, allowing the empath to enter. She glanced over at the bed, feeling like the previous evening was a million miles away. The door closed behind her with a whoosh and she glanced over her shoulder at it nervously.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Beast Boy, his tones quiet and calm. Turning back towards him, she tried to reach out to sense some emotion from him. But he was keeping himself extremely guarded. She sensed that he had retracted following on from his earlier revelations, and she couldn't blame him. He'd opened up to her and _still_ had no answers. She'd left him in a limbo of vulnerability, all day. Noticing his expectant look, she walked further into the room and tried to calm herself down.

"I wanted to apologise for shouting at you earlier," she began, unsteadily. "I...wasn't in a good place. But it's not an excuse and I'm sorry."

"So am I," admitted the changeling, and she could feel some shame seeping through. "I didn't mean to get so jealous over the whole thing with Robin. That wasn't fair."

Raven gave him a small smile. She reached up and pulled her hood down. She wanted to shed everything protective before she made herself vulnerable. "I went out with Star today, and I've had some time to think. About what you said."

"Oh?" replied Garfield, shakily. He didn't really seem to know what to say or expect, so he just looked at her and waited. They were standing awkwardly in his room, both noticing the discomfort in the air. It was a far cry from how comfortable they had been with each other lately. Raven took a deep breath and continued to speak.

"Gar, I wanted to thank you for letting yourself be vulnerable with me. That can't have been easy after everything that happened with Terra," began Raven, her voice wavering a little. He looked down at the mention of the geomancers name, and she felt her heart prick a little. "But I think I understand a bit more now. I'm struggling to let myself be with you because I'm scared of the risks. I'm scared to let myself be fully vulnerable with _you_. Because of Malchior."

His eyes raised slightly, a deep empathy and sadness within them. Raven tried to smile again, but it looked sad and tired. She sighed deeply. "Yesterday you said we're both complicated and you're right. But you also had the courage to tell me how you feel so I wanted to try and tell you."

"I'm listening, Rae."

Her shoulders drooped a little. She was struggling to look him in the eye, for some reason. This whole thing felt awful. She wanted to throw her arms around him and distract him with a hug or a kiss. This felt so much more difficult.

"I'm torn. Every single time I look at you. I can't seem to settle one way or another. I examine you and I see how much I care about you, how much I want to be with you. How much last night meant to me. How much these past few days mean to me. Then I look at you and I see myself losing control. That if I let you in and then something were to happen to you, I might destroy the world all over again. I see myself getting hurt again. I see you leaving me for someone else. Someone better. More deserving of you than I ever will be."

She looked back towards him, her eyes shining slightly. "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I love you, Gar. But I'm terrified of it."

The changeling looked at her for a moment, trying to take in everything that she had just said. His face was filled with a multitude of emotions; relief, fear, concern, sadness. It was pouring out of him, mingling together and hitting Raven like a truck. She took another deep breath to steady herself, then looked at him hopefully.

"Your turn. Tell me what we do with all that."

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and walked towards his bed. Raven followed him, sitting down beside him on the edge. They were quiet for a few moments, before he turned to her.

"Well, that was a lot to take on all at once," he began, lightly. "But I'll try to answer every bit as best as I can, okay?"

Raven nodded, looking at him with anticipative eyes. She just wanted him to tell her that everything would be okay, always. But she knew that wasn't possible or likely. She also knew she wouldn't believe him if he did. So, she sat with a knot in her stomach, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"First of all, I can promise you that I would never do anything to hurt you," began Garfield, reaching out to touch her face gently. "I meant what I said on that roof. I'm in love with you, and if nothing else I'm loyal to those I love. I'm not Malchior, I would never use you or cause you pain in any intentional way."

Raven felt relief flood her mind at these words. That meant a lot to her; it allowed her to begin to feel that trust for him. He took her hand softly. "I can't promise that I won't die, and neither can you. I wish I could promise you that, but it wouldn't be fair to. What I can tell you is that I feel _exactly_ the same about it; if something were to happen to you, I just know that the Beast would take control in an instant, and that thought terrifies me too. I might not be capable of destroying the world, Rae. But we both know what he's capable of; destroying our friends and God knows who else."

She nodded, liking the fact that he was sitting so close to her. She felt the most settled she had done all day.

"But there is _no one_ more deserving of my love than you. You're patient. You're kind. You're beautiful. You're _funny_ , when you want to be. You make me feel something unlike anything I've ever felt before. You make me feel alive. I can say with complete confidence that I don't want to be with anyone except for you."

"But, you wanted to be with Terra," countered Raven, awkwardly. She didn't want to bring it up, but she wanted to be honest with her fears if they were to move forward. His eyes grew concerned at the second mention of the geomancer. "What if she comes back?"

"She's not going to come back, Rae," began the changeling, quietly. "We both know that."

"No, we don't," she stated, feeling tears in her eyes again. "What would you do if that happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what would you do if we were together and then she came back?"

"I wouldn't _do_ anything," shrugged the green man, as if it was obvious. "I'd be with you. I already told you, I'm loyal to those I love."

Raven looked down; her jealousy was raging inside of her, desperate to get out. There was something about the geomancer that always pushed her buttons and she knew it was because of Garfield. Phobia had picked up on it right away; a real fear for her was that Terra would return and swoop him away again.

"You're jealous," Beast Boy stated suddenly, in surprise. "You're jealous of Terra."

Raven looked up at him, a little annoyance on her face. "Well...why shouldn't I be? I saw the way you looked at her, the way you were when she was around. How can I be sure you wouldn't turn away from me again if she was here?"

"Oh Rae," smiled the changeling, reaching over and putting his arm round her. "How do I explain this?"

He paused for a moment, deep in thought. She leant her head against his shoulder, feeling a little silly. But this was the closest she had ever been to being this open and honest with anyone.

"My love for Terra was like a flame that overtook a building in minutes. It just exploded and within moments the building was burned down. It was intense, but it ended intensely too. My love for you is like slow growing flame. It started small, but it grew over time. Now it's so big and burning brighter than ever. It's not explosive and over in an instant. It's the kind of love that lasts forever. Does that make sense?"

"Strangely, yes," conceded Raven, surprised by the poetic nature of his sentiment.

"If Terra came back then of course I would be pleased to see her; my care for her will never go away. But like the building, my love for her burned away a long time ago. There's nothing left but ashes and rubble now. It kind of sucks to look at it because you remember what happened, but it just isn't there anymore."

He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "Raven, the only person I want is you. But _you_ have to learn to believe that, I can't make you believe it."

Raven looked into his earnest green eyes and felt her emotions shifting again. He was swaying her, and she knew it. What if he was right? This could be the best thing that ever happened to her. She blinked a few times. "I'm not the easiest person to get along with."

"You think I don't know that? Christ, Rae. We've lived together for years."

"I might sometimes wobble and need reassuring."

"Got it."

"You might need to keep reminding me of this conversation."

"Okay."

"I might push you away."

"I'll keep coming back," countered Garfield, grinning toothily. "I always have and always will."

"Yes. Azar knows you're persistent," replied Raven, sarcastically. Her eyes were still glued to his. She felt crazy for a moment, but also scarily powerful. She swallowed, letting her bravery come forwards and take over her mouth for a moment. "But it's paid off. Alright. I give up."

Beast Boy looked at her in disbelief. "You mean...?"

"Yes, I want to try. I want to be with you. Exclusively. Whatever silly label you want to add to it."

"Girlfriend?"

"Aren't we a bit old for that?"

"Partner?"

"A little warmer."

"Better half?"

She gave a little smirk. "Much more like it. Look, Gar. As long as we're together, I don't really care about labels. I want to be with you, that's all that matters."

Garfield grinned, his heart almost bursting out of his chest. He was certain that he was going to wake up at any moment. "You're sure about this?"

"Yes, Garfield. Sure _and_ certain," smiled Raven, reaching over and giving him a tight hug. "Accept it. I love you, you idiot."

He held her tightly, afraid that if he let go she would change her mind. "I know. I'm a lucky idiot though."

"Damn right," laughed the empath, pulling back and letting her lips find his. This kiss was different from the others. Somehow, it felt like sealing their decision; making it official and real.

Despite all of the doubt, nothing had ever felt so right in either of their lives. They sank into the moment, letting time tick by around them carelessly.


	24. Chapter 24 - New and Scary

**Author's note:** **Thanks to all who are continuing to read and review on this strange journey. I keep writing this story and can't seem to stop, so you may be in it for the long haul. I've often wondered if I should start some of it as a sequel, as it feels so far removed from the original story! But here we are, we're moving along. I took some artistic license with this chapter i.e. technologically speaking. If you don't approve my apologies, just thought I'd get the Titans with the modern day! I hope you enjoy. Reading back over some old chapters I noticed that Fanfic is deleting words from my original document I uploaded which** **really** **annoyed me. I'll go back and fix it at some point but I'm too lazy right now, so apologies for that. More BBRae fluffiness ahead: I don't do writing lemons but there are some adult themes in this so just be careful young 'uns, okay?**

 **Reviewer responses:**

 **Sanzojoe:** **I know, I am a little crazy. I don't work any of them full time, it's the nature of the work I do. I'm dropping one in April and I can't wait! Thanks for your lovely reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I do try to get them as close to the true characters as I can. :)**

 **Taygon55:** **Ahh, you may be on to something...we'll have to wait and see! Thanks for the review, and feel free to say as much as you like :) Hope you're enjoying the story so far.**

 **Spawry:** **Thank you! Your review showed up a chapter behind, so I hope you're up to date and enjoyed the other chappie too. :)**

 **Disclaimer** **: I do not own Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter twenty-four – New and Scary**

A little time passed. Raven and Garfield were still in his room, basking in the admissions that had just passed between them. They lay back on his bed, chatting and giggling like two teenagers in love. Raven felt giddy, she couldn't believe she had thrown caution to the wind for once in her life. It felt frightening, but right. Garfield's heart was so full he could barely let himself feel it, for fear it would end. He looked over at the woman he loved, and saw her lilac eyes fall onto his. They were still twinkling with happiness; he could hear and sense her physiological responses firing off and it made his soul soar.

"I wish we could stay here forever, just the two of us like this," smiled Beast Boy, reaching his hand over and tucking her hair behind her ear gently. "But I know we'll have to go back out there and face reality soon."

"Yes," conceded the empath, rolling onto her side and resting her arm above her head. Her long violet locks fell back around her like silk. Her cloak was draped behind her like a long waterfall. "Back to our friends. And one very sad cybernetic man."

"Oh yeah. Bummer," responded Gar, remembering what was going on with his best friend. His heart sank a little bit, despite its earlier exhilaration. "Oh man. Poor Cy."

"Yes," nodded Raven, her lilac eyes faltering and looking down. They were filled with resolute sadness. She fiddled with her sleeves absently. "There is nothing we can do to change it. Bumblebee made her decision clear."

"I know, and I do get it," shrugged the changeling, running his hand through his green hair. "I mean, she wants to get back to her team. Her family. But they were so close. He's really gonna miss her."

"He is. But Cyborg is more resilient than you give him credit for," countered the empath, her eyes rising to meet his again. "He's been through a lot in his life. He'll get through this. We can make sure of that."

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy, reaching over and running his hand up and down her arm gently. He wasn't sure if he was soothing her or himself with the action. Something occurred to him as they sat there for a few quiet moments. "Rae, I don't want to put a downer on all this because I'm so happy that I'm with you I want to scream it from the roof. Like literally."

Raven uncharacteristically giggled again, despite herself. She knew it was the endorphins racing around her system making her act this way, much to her demon side's annoyance. He smiled at her response then touched his fingers to her cheek gently.

"But for Cy's sake...I think maybe we should keep this to ourselves for a while. I don't want to rub his nose in it. Star and Robin are so obvious all the time, and if you and I start to act 'coupley' around him..."

"It will make him feel even worse," nodded Raven, in agreement. She knew what the shapeshifter was saying made sense. She reached up and held his hand to her cheek, staring into his eyes. There was a slightly mischievous look in them. "You're right. Don't worry, I can do discreet."

Beast Boy raised his eyebrow at her. "Is that so?"

"Yes, sneaking around in the dark. That's kind of my thing. As I recall you described it as 'creepy' once?"

The changeling winced at the memory. "Ouch. Yes, I did. But I meant it in a good way!"

Raven raised her eyebrow at this comment, a small smile on her lips. "Is _that_ so?"

"Maybe," smiled the green man, cryptically. His eyes were shining playfully too. "Maybe that's what I'm into."

"I hope so," grinned Raven, rolling onto her stomach and hovering over him. "After all my disclosures, I still want to know that I'm attractive to you."

Her long violet hair was messily flipped over to one side and hanging down her shoulders, her lilac eyes half lidded. Garfield felt his animalistic side raging inside of him at her seductive actions. She knew full well what she was doing to him, yet he knew he needed to keep himself calm. Raven moved her lips closer to his but drifted above his mouth. Her breath tickled his skin. "Your pupils are dilated, Gar."

Her scent was intoxicating to him. He knew she was playing a game, but she didn't realise how dangerous it was. His self-control was becoming weaker with every passing moment. He managed to get two breathy words out. "Rae, stop."

"Or else what?" she questioned flirtatiously, her own demon instincts pushing her on, despite the feelings she was picking up from him. She knew how close he was to letting go, but she was also curious as to what would happen if he did. The danger of it all was making her feel strangely euphoric. She could feel his overpowering desire and it was stimulating her own emotional state. She'd never let herself be free like this before. It was addictive, exciting, new.

Garfield struggled internally, trying to contain his powerful emotions for the empath, but resisting her was becoming more difficult. All of his animal instincts were telling him to ravage her right there and then. Her lips still floated above his own, tentatively.

"You _know_ what," he managed eventually, grasping onto his human control with everything he could. Raven heard his voice and it was as though her trance was broken; she realised what she was doing and felt a surge of confusion rise up in her. She raised herself up and rolled back away from him, staring at the ceiling. They were both panting, sweat beading at their brow lines.

 _'What the hell was that about?'_ thought Raven, trying to bring her heart rate down. She turned sidelong to examine the changeling. She could feel the panic in him, flying off him in waves. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand slowly.

"I'm sorry," whispered the empath, suddenly. She felt a little shame rising in her throat. Her eyes shone with confusion and concern at her actions. It was as though lust had taken over her body in that moment, fed by the green man's own feelings and desires. Garfield's eyes flicked over to hers and he saw the worry in them. His own emerald eyes softened, and he took her hand in his, raising it to his lips in a gentle kiss.

"Don't be," he replied, gently. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Why are you so panicked, then?" questioned the empath a little sharply, still looking a bit confused at what had occurred between them. Her voice held a little hurt. "I could sense it in you. Was that not what you wanted?"

"Oh Rae," sighed Garfield, turning over to face her. "It's _all_ that I want. But it wouldn't be right to act on it. Not right now."

Raven raised her eyebrow. "You're a true gentleman, aren't you?"

"To a fault. Sorry, but I just can't take advantage of you, no matter how much I want to," smiled the changeling, poking her on the nose playfully. He quirked his own eyebrow back at her, an impish smile on his face. "And in answer to your earlier comment, you are in fact _extremely_ attractive to me."

Raven laughed a little, breaking the tension between them. "Thank you. Anyway, I think technically I was throwing myself at you, so there wasn't really any taking advantage involved. But I know what you mean. This is all still really new to me; feeling emotions is going to elicit strange responses. It's like I'm opening the flood gates."

"Hey, it's all new to me too," admitted the green shapeshifter, stroking her cheek again, gently. His expression changed to one that was a little more serious for a moment. "I just don't want us to rush into anything that we both regret."

Raven considered his comments and noted that they made logical sense. They had been a couple for less than an hour. Both complicated by their powers, both inexperienced due to circumstance. Both awash and unstable with emotion. She smiled at him and reached across to stroke his green skin gently with her pale fingers. "Since when did you become so smart?"

Beast Boy chuckled, his eyes creasing. "I've always been this smart, you've just never noticed before."

"There were lots of things I didn't notice before," countered Raven, her lilac eyes locking onto his own. She captured his lips in a brief, gentle kiss. "I'm glad I see them clearly now."

"Me too," smiled Garfield, his eyes lighting up at her affectionate attitude. He looked at her churlishly. "Okay, so prepare yourself for step two of me being the 'sensible' one. We should probably get up and go and see the others. You and Robin have some hatchets to bury and I really need to know if Cy is okay."

The empath gave a genuine smile and nodded. She felt lighter somehow. "Whatever you say, Gar. Let's go."

* * *

Starfire and Robin were sat talking in ops when the other two Titans emerged from Beast Boy's quarters. The Tameranean's jade eyes flickered across the room and locked onto Raven's lilac ones. She knew instantly. Raven was aware by her change in emotional state; she could sense excitement and happiness rising in the princess. She gave her a look that said: _'Don't you dare say a word.'_

Star acknowledged it with her own sympathetic stare which said: _'As if I would, friend.'_

However, in typical Starfire style, she beamed at her two friends entering the room and spoke loudly. "I am pleased to see you friends. Please do sit, we have just been doing the talking and we wish to speak with you."

Beast Boy and Raven made eye contact, and the empath gave a clueless shrug. They wandered over towards the couches and sat down. There was still some tension in the air, residual from the earlier squabble. Raven pulled her hood down, to try and show that she wasn't annoyed anymore. Robin noticed this and leant back on the couch a little, showing he was more relaxed.

"Robin has stated his apologies to me," began Starfire, giving an encouraging smile to the boy wonder and resting her hand on his. "We were just doing the making up."

"Instead of the making out," whispered Garfield, not quite under his breath. Raven elbowed him in the ribs, and he winced, despite the little grin on his face. "I mean, that's good to hear Star."

"Robin?" tried the Tameranean, gently. She was trying her best to mediate, and everyone in the room knew it. Robin looked over at the other two Titans slowly.

"Raven, I'm sorry I acted like an ass," he began, looking genuinely apologetic. "I just couldn't handle what you were telling me, and that wasn't your fault."

"Apology accepted," replied the empath, her monotone voice apparent. She gave a little smile, to show it was genuine before speaking again. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to make full sense of the vision, and that I was a little blunt with my predictions. The truth is that I saw every one of you getting hurt and I was unable to handle the emotions attached to that."

Everyone stared at her aghast, even Beast Boy. Raven looked at them surprised and then raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"Friend Raven, you just spoke openly about your feelings without need for fear or probing," stated Star, incredulously. Robin and Beast Boy nodded in unison, shock all over their faces.

Raven realised what she had done and gave a small shrug, the smile still on her face. She folded her arms resolutely. "I guess I did. And nothing blew up or exploded. How about that."

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Robin, concern on his face.

"I'm fine," replied the Azarathian, dryly. She had an inkling as to what had just happened but wasn't about to share it with the rest of the room. Instead she shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I just felt brave today, for some reason."

Recognition hit the changeling, and he gave her a little grin. They exchanged a knowing glance which only lasted a millisecond. Raven turned to the group again. "In terms of the vision, I will make sense of it. It's going to take some time and some patience, but with your help I'm certain we can avert it from becoming reality."

"Good to hear," nodded Robin, approvingly. "Maybe tomorrow we can talk about it more. For today, I think we've said enough. Besides, I wouldn't want to do anything until Cy gets back and can be part of the process."

"I hear ya," said Beast Boy, affirmatively. "Where is the tin man anyway?"

Robin shrugged, turning to look out at the darkening skies. "I thought that you guys would know, I've not spoken to him since he left with Bee."

"Nor I," replied Starfire, quietly. "Raven and I were out for the afternoon and then I came to speak with you."

"What she said," added Raven, a little concern in her voice. "I thought you guys would know."

"I've not spoken to him since earlier," confirmed the changeling, shrugging his shoulders dejectedly. "I wanted to give him space to say goodbye."

"It's a reasonably long flight, and the T-ship isn't the fastest transportation in the world," stated the boy wonder, his detective skills working around the situation. "It's likely he might not be back for a couple more hours. He probably decided to stay for a while and say hi to the other Titans in Steel City anyway."

"That is true! Friend Cyborg does enjoy the company of the others," smiled Star, clapping her hands together. "I am certain he will do the returning soon."

"I guess that means my room isn't going to be fixed 'til tomorrow then," joked Raven, lightly trying to stay in character. She folded her arms and leant back on the couch. Robin pointed towards the corridor.

"No big deal, Raven. We have an extra room now with Bee leaving. You can take her spare room for now. There's clean bedding in the laundry room."

Raven shrugged, pushing thoughts of Beast Boy's room from her head. "I guess it's better than the medbay."

" _Anything_ is better than the medbay," agreed Robin, a smile passing between them. They both knew in that moment that the earlier fallout had now been forgotten and they could get back to normal. "So, I guess we can just relax until he gets back. I think then we can do a final debrief before bed. Figure out where we go from here."

"Sounds like a plan, man," responded Beast Boy, giving a goofy grin and a thumbs-up. He walked over and turned on the Gamestation. "Guess I'll go a few rounds, I'll need my practice for when the metal man gets back."

Raven reached over and grabbed her book off the side. "I've always got time to do some reading."

"Robin, I wish for to show you my most recent purchases from the city," stated Star, pulling at his hand. He smiled at her. Turning back towards the other two Titans he spoke briefly as he was dragged out of ops.

"See you guys later, then."

"Bye!" stated Garfield, loudly as Raven waved her hand. The changeling let out a sigh as they left the room and the door swished shut. "I thought they'd never leave."

Raven smiled and leaned back on the couch, opening her book. She kicked off her shoes and rested her feet against his leg. "This is going to be so difficult for you, isn't it?"

"Duh," stated Beast Boy, loading up his game and resting his hand on her leg, gently. "I want bragging rights."

"Who's the mature one now?" joked Raven, quirking her eyebrow at him. Curiosity got the better of her. "What do you mean, anyway?"

"Well, it's kinda like 'look what I caught'," laughed the changeling, giving her leg a squeeze. "You're mine now, and I want everyone to know it."

"I'm sorry, Gar. Am I a woman or a fish in this scenario? You've got me completely confused."

"Be quiet, you," teased the changeling, turning his eyes towards the screen. "You knew what I meant."

"I know what you _said_ ," corrected the empath, giving him a gentle poke with her foot. He grinned at her and she flashed a small smile back. "Now let me read."

"Things haven't really changed _that_ much, have they?"

"No," conceded the Azarathian, settling down to her book. "Which is good."

"Why?" asked Gar, tilting his head to the side. Raven smiled but didn't look up from her page.

"Because I like them how they are."

* * *

The moon was in the sky peering down at Jump City when the familiar roar of the T-Ship was heard by the other four Titans. Raven could immediately sense the anxiety of her team mates, all unsure what to expect upon their friend's return. She shared in their concern but tried to keep herself calm. She knew rationally that if she was distressed it would be unhelpful to the cybernetic man. The green changeling was not heeding such balanced thought, instead almost hopping from foot to foot in panic.

"What do we do?" asked Beast Boy, frantically. "Do we act normal or say anything or go down to meet him or—"

"Calm _down_ , Gar," interrupted the empath, placing her hand on his arm gently. "It's just Cyborg, he's still your best friend. The same one you were playing Gamestation with yesterday. Why are you so agitated?"

"What if I say the wrong thing? Put my foot in it? Hurt his feelings? Upset him?" questioned the green shapeshifter, firing questions at the Azarathian at an impossible rate. She blinked her lilac eyes at him, trying to process all the information that was coming her way.

"Okay let's see. Unlikely, you won't, even more unlikely, and if he is upset it won't be you that's upset him; it will be Bee's departure," answered Raven, counting off the questions on her fingers. She smiled at her partner, an inquisitive look on her face. "What's gotten into you? You're never normally this anxious about seeing Cyborg."

"It's just," began the young man, softly. He glanced around ops, checking that Starfire and Robin were nowhere to be found. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't want him to know that something's up. That something's changed. I'm worried I'll make it too obvious."

"You really can't see the irony, can you?" replied the empath, raising her eyebrow. He shook his head and she sighed. "You'll make it _more_ obvious if you act all anxious and stressed like you are now."

"Oh," responded Garfield, recognition dawning in his eyes. "Ohhhh."

"Yeah," replied Raven, all but smacking her own forehead. "I retract my earlier statement about your smartness."

"Ha _ha,_ " replied Beast Boy, sticking his tongue out at her. He took a deep breath and then let out a sigh. "I just don't want to make him feel worse."

"You won't," reassured Raven, kindly. His emerald eyes looked at her, and she wrapped her arm around him supportively. "It's going to be fine."

Suddenly the door to ops swished open, and the two Titans jumped apart quickly. Raven pulled her hood up and turned her face away from the changeling. Starfire and Robin came bustling into the room; she could still sense the concern pouring off them.

"Cy back?" asked Robin, his voice terse. Raven and Beast Boy shook their heads in unison. Star floated behind the boy wonder, looking agitated.

"What is taking him so long?! He landed now a good minute ago!"

"Guys, chill," responded the changeling. He had clearly heeded Raven's advice. "I'm sure he's just like...tinkering with the T-Ship or something."

"Hmm, well. We'd better not let him know we've been waiting, let's look busy Titans!" exclaimed Robin, commandingly. Raven rolled her eyes beneath her hood and reached for her book again. She curled herself up in the corner of ops quietly, as the others bustled around in a restless state. Minutes passed, and then heavy footsteps approached ops. The doors flew open.

"Hey, y'all!" exclaimed Cyborg, jovially. The other four Titans turned to look at him, shock clearly written on their faces. Oblivious, he whistled and wandered over to the fridge, sticking his head into it and poking around. "We got anything to eat? I'm starvin'!"

"There's some fresh pasta in the back," said Raven, her face expressionless as all of the others appeared dumbstruck. Cy gave her a nod and poked his head back into the fridge. The empath reached out her foot and kicked Beast Boy, then zapped the other two with her dark energy. They all turned towards her, rubbing their various points of painful impact.

" _Snap out of it_ ," she hissed quietly, her eyes flashing white. They all looked at her in surprise then turned back to the cybernetic man, fake smiles plastered all over their faces.

"How was your flight, friend?" managed the Tameranean, through the gritted teeth of her false beam. Raven could sense her holding back her confusion at her friend's attitude. "Pleasant, I hope?"

"Hmm?" replied the metal man, emerging from the fridge with his food and kicking the door shut with his foot. "Oh yeah, it was fine thanks Star. She handled like a dream. Then of course it is a clear day, no real wind resistance and the flight path was clear both ways."

"That is...good?" stated Star, her eyebrow raised. The confusion had come through at last. Seemingly still unaware, Cy continued humming as he prepared the meal, and Robin cleared his throat.

"So...Bee got back okay?" he tried, tentatively. The other three Titans audibly held their breath and waited for a response.

"Yeah, she's back in Steel City with the others," stated Cy, boiling some water on the hob and measuring the pasta out. "Anyone else hungry?"

"Sure," replied Robin, uncertainly. "I could eat, I guess?"

"Thank you, friend that would be most kind," added Star, floating around the breakfast bar and sitting down. Beast Boy stood to his feet and wandered over to the kitchen.

"Anything BB friendly in there?"

"Like I'd forget my green buddy!" exclaimed Cyborg, clapping his friend on the back cheerfully, pointing to some packets he'd taken from the fridge. "I got you bro. Rae?"

"Um, yeah," stated the empath quietly, closing her book and gently walking to sit down next to Star. "Thanks."

The metal man busied himself around the kitchen, making the dinner with ease. The others exchanged concerned glances, all wondering what had happened but also being too scared to ask.

"Oh, I meant to tell y'all," stated Cy suddenly, causing them all to snap to attention and look at him. "Mas y Menos asked about you, Star. Seems they still have a little crush on you, princess!"

Star let out a sound that resembled a squeak, and then giggled. Robin did not look remotely amused. Beast Boy had a strange smile on his face. Raven looked completely lost. The oddest thing of all was that strange behaviour she was witnessing was matching up with the emotions that she was sensing from the cybernetic man. She narrowed her eyes; something was going on.

As they sat down to steaming plates of food, they all chatted normally. No one seemed to want to interrogate Cyborg as to what had happened, and yet everyone was equally astonished at his chirpy attitude. Once they'd finished eating, Beast Boy issued a challenge to his friend and they retired to play on the Gamestation together. Raven, Robin and Starfire all cleared up, speaking in hushed tones.

"I am most confused," began Star, lifting a plate and stacking it with another. "What occurred on his journey out to the city of Steel?"

"Not sure," stated Raven, running some hot water. She raised her eyebrow. "Something strange is going on; that cheerful feeling is definitely real and not an act, I can sense it."

"Should we really be prying?" reasoned Robin, taking his gloves off and washing up some dishes. Starfire picked up a towel and began to dry. "I mean, if he's happy then surely that's a good thing."

"True," agreed Raven, nodding. She reached up and put away the clean dishes that Star was handing her. "I think we're just all surprised."

"Indeed," nodded the Tameranean, flying to a high cupboard to put some things away. "Perhaps friend Cyborg will tell us in his own time."

So, they decidedly left him alone and continued with their evening as normal. Raven sat quietly in the corner, still reading her book. Star and Robin cheered on the two young men on their game, giggling and jeering in turn. As the night drew on, Raven felt tiredness hitting her and let out a big yawn. She decided she should probably go and get her sheets from the laundry, so she stood up quietly and glided out of the room. The others were so engrossed in their games that no one seemed to notice. She smiled at the sight of them all so happy and took off down the corridor.

* * *

As she entered Bumblebee's old room, she noted that the young woman's familiar brand of perfume was in the air. She walked in with the clean bedding and some clean clothes in her hands and placed the pile on the stripped bed gently. After making up her new bed, she looked around the room. Technically, it was what would be considered the Titan's 'guest' room. As such it was understandably bland, with white walls and some artsy landscape pictures hanging on the walls. A mirror hung on the one side, a chest of drawers next to it. It was simple and modest, but the bed was comfortable and was king-size. Raven sighed. She missed her space, but this wasn't too bad. She'd been to worse places in her short life, she noted. She flopped back onto the freshly made bed and stared up at the bland ceiling for a while. It had been a strange kind of day. Sighing, she got back up. She walked over to the chest of drawers and put in some of the clothes she had grabbed on the way to her temporary accommodation. Her lilac eyes suddenly landed on a piece of paper which was neatly folded on top of the wooden surface. She frowned a little and then reached over to grab it. There was a name written across in dark, bold print.

 _"TITANS"_

Raven had a strong suspicion of who had written it and opened it gently. She was right. She smiled as her eyes scanned over the handwritten note.

 _Hey Guys!_

 _I just wanted to leave you a little note to say that it's been a real blast to work with you over the past few months. You guys are more than just a team, you are a family. Thanks for making me part of it. I'm so happy that Raven is back up and running, she is the glue that holds you all together and I could only fill her absence for so long (girl, I don't know how you do it!)._

 _I know it's going to be tough for me to adjust to being in charge back in the East, but I've honestly missed it. Speedy, Mas y Menos and Aqualad need me. I heard that Jinx and Kid Flash have been staying out there recently to lend a hand, so it's going to be an interesting dynamic to go back to. They're my little family, strange as it sounds. It's where I belong._

 _That being said, I'll miss you guys. All of you, in your own way. Stay safe out there, you're all doing a great job._

 _See you on the other side!_

 _Karen (Bumblebee)_

A small pit of sadness welled up inside of Raven. She was unsure what to do with the note, as Cyborg had seemed in such a good place. She folded it back up and placed it down on the drawers as she found it. Perhaps she would speak to Robin tomorrow and they could decide then. There was no need to spoil a nice night. Biting her lip, she decided to send a message via her communicator. Cy had installed a text function several years back, but Raven had never really used it. Texting wasn't really her thing. Hell, social communication wasn't really her thing. She knew that all the various Titans had some kind of 'group chat' to keep in touch, but she'd specifically asked Cy not to be made a part of it. But this was a day for change. Slowly, she typed out a message to Bee, fumbling with the keys.

 _Hello, Bumblebee. Just found your note. I don't know how I put up with them either sometimes. The things you do for your family. You're much missed already. I hope that it's all good in the East. Hope to see you soon. Raven_

Raven smiled, pleased at her handiwork and then pressed send. She hoped it would show the young woman that they were appreciative of her little gesture, even though she was unable to share it with the other Titans at present. She got changed into her pyjamas and yawned again. She really was tired tonight. Her communicator made a little ping. She reached over to the bedside table and grabbed it, flicking it open. A message appeared on the screen in white text on the black background.

 _Girl! Well done for getting with the 21_ _st_ _Century and sending me a message. I'm touched. We're all good here. Aqualad even cooked me dinner! They must have missed me too. See you around, goth girl. Kx_

Raven gave a little snort. She could see why the others enjoyed this. She typed out another message before pressing send. She was a little quicker on her second attempt.

 _Aqualad and cooking? Sounds dangerous. If you survive until the morning, then I hope you have a good day tomorrow. Goodnight. R_

She placed her communicator down and gave a large stretch. Something felt strange tonight, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then it struck her. There was no fuzzy green man to keep her company. She smiled. Reaching back for the communicator she tucked her feet up under her and typed out one final message.

 _Wish you were here. Rx_

She selected Beast Boy's name and pressed send, hoping it wouldn't accidentally get sent over to the others. She put the communicator down and fiddled with her fingers. Was this what everyone else felt like on a usual basis? Maybe she didn't like this being normal thing as much as she first thought. The communicator beeped, making her jump slightly.

 _Texting now? Who are you and what did you do with Raven? Just kidding. Miss you. Room is empty without you. Gx_

Raven's fingers hovered over the keys and she looked up towards the window, thinking what to type. She didn't want to come over too strong after earlier events. Azar, she felt like a teenage girl all over again. Sighing she lay back onto the bed, holding the communicator over her head and staring at it. She took a deep breath and decided to be brave.

 _How good are you at sneaking around in the dark? Rx_

Send. She stared at the screen, instantly regretting the message. She could feel her anxiety and the bedside table began to rattle threateningly. She said her mantra over and over to calm herself down, and it subsided. Pressing on her gem, she gave an exasperated sigh.

 _'This is ridiculous,'_ she thought angrily. _'I've managed to sleep by myself for twenty years, why in the name of Azar am I being so damned pathetic?'_

The communicator beeped again. Her eyes stared at it untrustingly, unsure whether to open the message or just pretend she had fallen asleep. She played with the edges of it then flicked it open, decisively. The white letters appeared on the black screen.

 _About as good as you are. Only with better vision :) Why? Gx_

Raven bit her lip and kicked her foot out nervously. Did she want to do this? She'd gotten in this far. Why not go all the way? She fidgeted a little, trying to work out what to say. Blowing her violet hair out of her face, she typed a message out slowly and carefully. She stared at it for a moment and then impulsively pressed send.

 _You could always come and visit. Rx_

This was torturous. She vowed that she would never ever do anything like this again. What was possessing her? She stood up out of the bed and began anxiously pacing around the room. She stopped and looked out of the window, tapping the communicator in her hand. The stars were out again, and she gave a small smile at the sight of them. She remembered staring up at the stars when she was on Azarath as a child. They were different stars, of course. But seeing them always gave her a feeling of inner peace.

"Still looking at the stars?" came a voice behind her. She twisted her head in surprise, her mouth open. Her long hair flew out around her as she turned. She relaxed as she saw the green changeling standing at the other end of the room. She gave a smile and leaned against the cool glass, slowly.

"It always calms me down," she stated, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. She still had the communicator held in her hand. Garfield's green eyes flicked down to look at it then back to her face. He had a quizzical yet amused expression on his face.

"Why were you nervous?"

"Oh, w-well," stammered Raven, walking over to the bedside table and placing the communicator down. A blush was spreading across her cheeks, she felt her stomach twisting slightly. "I've never used the communicator's text function before. I don't like it all that much."

Garfield let out a laugh at her awkwardness and walked over to her. "You're so cute when you're flustered."

She felt her heart picking up as he approached her, she looked down at the floor. For some reason she was feeling completely vulnerable and tense. He touched her face, pulling her chin up gently so that she was looking at him. He smiled. "I thought I told you that you don't have to be nervous around me anymore, Rae."

"After what happened earlier, I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do," sighed Raven honestly, locking her lilac eyes onto his emerald ones. "I _told_ you I'd need reassuring all the time. Are you sure you're prepared for this?"

"More than anything," replied the changeling, wrapping his arms around her. She responded, wrapping her slender arms around him and resting her head on his chest. He placed his chin on the top of her head softly and held her. "Here's me reassuring you; you can text me anytime you want to. I was thinking about you, anyway."

"You were?" replied Raven, listening to his heartbeat. It was picking up pace. She smiled and closed her eyes. "Nice things, I hope."

"I was just thinking how much I was going to miss you being next to me when your message came through," he stated, his heart still hammering. He gave her a squeeze, then released his grip a little. Her head raised from his chest and she lifted her eyes to his again. He gave a goofy grin, his fang on display. "Is that a bit cheesy?"

Raven laughed, and then raised her eyebrow at him. "Yes. But I was thinking it too. Then chastising myself because I'm a strong, independent woman. Or at least I was until yesterday."

Garfield returned the laugh, running his hands up and down her back. Raven shuddered involuntarily. "You're _still_ a strong, independent woman, Rae. Just one who likes BB cuddles. Admit it."

"I admit nothing," responded the empath, her face deadpan. She tried to keep the smile from her lips but was failing miserably. She knew Garfield could sense her jesting. He placed his lips against her forehead, giving her a small kiss.

"Well, I could always leave," he teased, resting his forehead against her smaller one. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of your _independence_."

"Hmm, you're here now so you might as well stay," she quipped, giving him a little squeeze. "I suppose I can put my independence to one side for one more night."

"Only one?"

"We'll see," smiled the Azarathian, overwhelmed by his feelings of love for her. It literally felt like waves crashing against her, filling her with warmth. "It depends how nice you are to me."

"Hey, I'm _always_ nice to you," replied Beast Boy, chuckling. "You're the moody one."

"That's right, because _you're_ the annoying one," chortled Raven, lightly. She stifled a yawn with her free hand.

Garfield snorted. "Shut up, snarky. You're tired. Let's go to sleep."

Raven pushed back and looked up at him, genuine concern in her eyes. "You _are_ staying, then?"

"I thought that was the general idea," shrugged Garfield, his emerald eyes twinkling. "Unless you don't want me to."

Raven smiled, giving him another quick hug. "Yes. You know I do. But...won't the others notice?"

Beast Boy shrugged again. "Look, Cy seems fine to me. If they find out, then they find out. I'm done worrying about it. You're not embarrassed, are you?"

"No!" exclaimed Raven, giving him a little poke as he laughed at her. "I'm not embarrassed. I just...I wonder how they'll react. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet."

"I guess we'll find out at some point. Let's not worry about it tonight," replied the changeling, still chuckling. He winked at her. "Right now, I just want to be cuddle companions."

"Deal," smiled Raven, walking over to the bed and getting in. Beast Boy followed suit, snuggling down next to her. She turned her eyes to look up at him; they were filled with sincere love and happiness. "Thanks for coming over, Gar."

"You're welcome, Rae. Sleep well. I love you."

He reached over and switched off the light, and they nestled close together. Raven gave a contented sigh, as she started to drift into sleep.

"I love you too."


	25. Chapter 25 - Secrets and Mysteries

**Authors note:** **Wow – chapter 25! It feels like a landmark. Thank you all for your continued support. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Here is another chapter for you to enjoy – let me know what you think :)**

 **Replies for reviewers:**

 **Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it – thanks for taking the time to review :)**

 **Eris: That's so kind :) Update for you now – enjoy!**

 **Taygon55: I've got a few things up my sleeve but don't worry lots of JLA/DC Universe amalgamations afoot. Can't say too much: spoilers! But I'm glad you're enjoying all the same and this chapter may clear some things up for you ;)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any of the DC Universe**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five – Secrets and Mysteries**

Raven opened her eyes, suddenly noticing she was no longer in the spare room. Above her head was an upside down red logo with yellow font. SS. She felt fear pinch her body as she knew that she wasn't safely in Garfield's arms anymore. She twisted and turned trying to look at the scene before her.

The same people stared down at her, holding her in place. The Omega. A gorilla. A cheater. A stroke of death. Tomorrow. A massacre.

She looked at all of their faces in turn, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Their faces were unmoving before her. She felt the force of their powers holding her down. The logo. SS. No, that wasn't right. There were extra letters. She squinted and looked hard at its blurry shape. SS...OSV. Gasping at the realisation she had missed letters, she turned to look for her friends.

Lying beside her were the broken, bruised, bloodied bodies of her comrades. Their faces contorted in the pain of their last dying moments. Raven scanned across them, tears shining in her lilac orbs. Robin. Cyborg. Starfire. Beast Boy. She screamed in anguish as she saw the last body in the row and tried desperately to reach out towards him.

 _"You cannot reach him, he is already dead,"_ echoed an eerie voice in her mind, despite the fact that none of the figure's lips moved. _"This is how it ends. This is how they die."_

Raven felt her powers surging inside her, desperate to get out. The sight of her love lying dead before her was sending her mad with grief. She writhed, twisted, turned, kicked, fought and screamed at the top of her voice.

"LET ME GO," she shouted, loudly. She bucked and fought with all her might, her demonic side in full force. Four red eyes burst from her face. "LET ME GO. LET ME GO. _LET ME_ _ **GO**_ _!_ "

With a final burst of energy, she broke through and suddenly shot up in the air, free from their unholy grasp.

* * *

Garfield's eyes flickered open in the half-light. His emerald orbs adjusted easily; his animal senses kicking in almost immediately. The young woman in his arms was twitching violently in her sleep and throwing her head from side to side.

"Rae?" he questioned, quietly. He eased himself out from underneath her and swivelled so he could look at her properly. Her face was contorted in fear and concentration. He felt his own worry surging within him. "Wake up!"

No response. She continued to twist around, her arms flailing either side of her. He gently touched her shoulder, giving it a shake. " _Wake up_ , Raven."

She continued to turn, this time trying to wrestle herself away from his grasp. She was mumbling to herself inaudibly. The bed started to rattle. Beast Boy looked around fearfully as the whole room started to shake, encased in the familiar black energy. The bedside table toppled over, and the lamp smashed on the floor. Raven's twisting and turning became more violent in the bed, as the rattling got louder. Garfield was thankful that Bee's old room was at the farthest end of the tower.

" _Let me_ _ **go**_!" came her voice sounding demonic and gravelly, causing the changeling to twist round and look at her. With a sudden gasp, Raven sat bolt upright in the bed. She looked around the room in panic, her eyes not fully adjusted to the darkness. Beast Boy gripped her shoulders firmly and spoke to her in a gentle tone.

"It's okay, Rae. It was just a bad dream," he stated, rubbing her arms soothingly. He could feel that she was lightly damp with sweat, and her breathing was ragged and sharp. Her heartbeat was astronomical. "Calm down, deep breaths in and out."

The empath began to take deep breaths, adjusting to her environment. She suddenly twisted towards him, her face illuminated eerily by the moonlight. Recognition flickered across her face. "G-garfield?"

"I'm here," reassured the green shapeshifter, still gently rubbing her arms. "It was a nightmare, that's all."

In response to his words, Raven did something which surprised even her. She promptly burst into tears. They flowed and flowed from her eyes, and she feared for a moment that they would not stop. She couldn't bear it. Seeing them all lying there like that _again_. It was like someone or something was trying to torture her. To tease her mind. She sobbed, her breaths hiccupping between gulps. The changeling looked at her with some concern. Things in the room were lifting and dropping down successively, encased in a dark aura.

"What happened?" he asked her quietly, trying to remain as calm as he could. He'd never seen Raven like this before. Wait a moment. Yes, he had. Earlier today. His mind clicked. "Rae, did you have the vision again? The one where I was dead?"

Raven sniffed, rubbing her eyes with her hand and nodded numbly. She couldn't speak. She couldn't believe that it had happened again. She noticed a dark substance leaking onto her fingers. Blood. Her nose was bleeding again.

"Oh no," she whimpered, weakly. The young man looked down and saw the blood on her face. He stood up and carefully went to switch the light on, as the lamp was shattered beyond repair. He surveyed the damage around the room as he walked back to the bed; it wasn't as bad as he had initially imagined. He gently touched her face, lifting it to see if there were any cuts or bruises. Nothing. The blood was seeping from her nose. It must have been a reaction to the power it took experiencing the vision. He reached out and grabbed a tissue from the box on the side and handed it to her. Raven took it gratefully and wiped the blood away from her face and hand. She sniffed, feeling a little self-conscious and shaken.

They both sat there in silence. Garfield wasn't sure what to say and do for the best. She stared down at her hands, trying to hold onto the extra pieces she had noticed from the vision before they vanished. She looked at the changeling before she spoke firmly, her voice monotone and cold.

"SSOSV," she stated, spelling out the acronym. "I don't know what it stands for, but I was wrong the first time. It's not SS, there was an OSV that followed on the logo."

"What the heck is SSOSV?" asked Beast Boy, tilting his head to one side in thought. "I've never heard of it."

"Me neither," admitted the Azarathian, rubbing her temples. "But it has to be important. Don't let me forget it, okay?"

"Okay," nodded the changeling, trying to commit the letters to memory. "SSOSV. Got it."

"Maybe it will help us work out what I'm being shown. I can't let this happen to the team. I _won't_ let it happen to you," she sniffed firmly, noticing the tears threatening to make their way out of her lilac eyes again. She gripped Garfield's top, pulling him close to her. "I can't lose you, Gar."

"Hey, it's going to be okay," he reassured, wrapping his arms around her. Truthfully, he wasn't a hundred percent certain as to how they would figure it out...yet. "We'll work it out in the morning. You need to rest, Rae. You're going to be exhausted tomorrow."

"I don't want to go back to sleep," sighed the Azarathian, glumly. She pushed herself away from his grasp, slowly. "I don't want any more of these visions."

She looked at the young man imploringly. He looked back at her, still unsure as to what to suggest. He sighed. "Look, I'm right here. You know that no one can break into this room. Between my hearing and smell, and your powerful senses there is nothing that could sneak up on us."

Raven considered his answer, her head cocked to one side. She looked around the room at the damage her powers had wreaked in her moment of panic. "I suppose you're right."

"I'm not going to leave you, I'll be right here when you wake up. If you need me you can just shout," he added, smiling widely as his fang protruded. He walked over and flipped the light off before lying back down in the bed and getting himself comfortable. "Let's try this again, okay?"

The empath nodded, settling back down. She felt uncomfortable that he'd had to witness her having an episode like that. "I'm sorry, Gar."

"For what?" asked the changeling, sleepily.

"For waking you up, crying on you, bleeding on you, destroying the room. Pick one."

Garfield laughed, lightly. "I'm pretty sure that all of those won't be the worst thing you do to me during our relationship."

That word. _Relationship_. It made her stomach twist in fear and her heart soar in the same beat. Why was she always so conflicted? She felt her voice catch in her throat. "R-relationship?"

"That's what this is, Rae. A relationship," said Beast Boy, a little confidence tinging his voice. He fell silent for a few moments and they both lay there contemplating his words. He spoke again, his voice loud in the quiet room. "Does that frighten you?"

"A little," admitted the Azarathian, giving him a little squeeze. She bit her lip, lightly. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Me neither," conceded the changeling, quietly. "I guess we're learning as we go along. But you're the smartest person I know. You'll figure it out in no time."

Raven laughed and wiped some of the dried tears away from her cheeks. "I may be the smartest, but you're definitely the funniest."

"You mean that?" stated the young man, some pride in his voice. Raven rolled her eyes at his smugness but couldn't keep the smile from her lips.

"Yes," she declared, simply. "When you're not telling corny jokes, you're actually pretty amusing."

"Huh," replied Beast Boy, deep in thought for a few moments. "All this time I've been trying to be funny and instead it's all natural, baby."

"No baby here, thank you," replied the empath, dryly. "Rae is acceptable, but _no_ pet names."

"Rae is _kinda_ a pet name, though, isn't it?"

"Yes. But I don't mind it so much. Just don't be calling me sweetie-pie."

"Nor cutie-pants, I bet," chuckled Garfield, playing along.

"Nope. Not even sugar-honey-lemon-drop," added Raven, now grinning wryly.

"How about light of my life?"

Raven snorted. "I've never been described as 'light' and you know it."

"Mamasita?"

"No chance. Rae is fine. You don't mind me calling you Garfield, right?" asked the empath, raising her eyebrow. She realised that made rather an assumption in calling him by his real name without checking it out. It had just seemed natural somehow.

"No, it's actually quite nice," conceded Beast Boy, smiling in the darkness. "It reminds me of when I was young. Back before I...became Beast Boy."

"Well, I think Gar is an endearing name. I bet you were a really adorable child," replied Raven, visualising a young Garfield Logan tottering about. Images from the other world flickered into her head suddenly. She let curiosity get the better of her. "Out of interest, did you have blonde hair and freckles as a kid?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?" asked the changeling, letting out a small laugh. Raven shrugged in his arms.

"Just an inkling I had," she replied, smiling. They were both quiet after that, as the atmosphere felt more relaxed. Slowly they drifted back into sleep, trying to forget the fears that the room had held only a few moments before.

* * *

The sun shone across the tower, illuminating the bay with the promise of a new day. Garfield woke naturally, his eyes adjusting to the bright morning light that was filling the little room. Broken glass and toppled furniture brought forward the memories of Raven's vision. He looked over warily at the destruction and then across at the young woman. She had rolled over so that she was facing away from the light, her violet locks spilling out over the white pillowcase. Beast Boy smiled, pleased that she had been able to feel safe enough to get some rest after her difficult episode. He set about quietly tidying up the mess as carefully as he could. There was no easy way to do it without using a dustpan, but he did the best he could. He didn't want the empath stepping out and injuring herself. He tipped the furniture back over so that it was the correct way up and straightened it, quietly.

Smiling at his handiwork, he turned back to the bed to see the violet haired woman watching him with bright eyes, still lying down but facing his direction. She smiled at him. "Good morning, Cinderella."

He felt a little embarrassed at getting caught and grinned toothily. "Morning. How did you sleep?"

Raven yawned and stretched as she sat up in the bed. "Actually, not too bad all things considered. Thank you for clearing up my mess."

"Anytime," smiled the young man, standing up to his full height. His eyes looked out over the bay at the twinkling waters. "I guess I should head back to my room before anyone suspects anything."

Raven nodded, her face deadpan. He turned back to face her. Her eyes held a small sadness, he noticed. He walked towards her and cupped her chin in his hand gently.

"I'll see you in a bit," he stated, bending to land a light peck on her lips. He straightened up and let her go, as her eyes flickered back open. "Don't forget...SSOSV."

She gave a small smile, a look of amazement in her eyes. "You remembered."

He nodded and returned her smile. Without another word he shifted to a tiny green mouse and scuttled out of the room. Raven touched her fingers to her lips, a silly smile still on her face. How was it that he was still able to surprise her after all these years? Swinging her feet out of the bed, she decided to shower and get ready for the day. Somehow, she had a feeling it was going to be a long one.

* * *

The empath entered ops, her long cloak billowing behind her. Her footsteps echoed in the empty room. No one else was around, _again_. This was becoming an abnormal trend that she didn't like. Raven knew she wasn't the most sociable person in the world, but background noise gave her a strange kind of comfort after all of these years living with her friends. Sighing, she wandered over to make her obligatory cup of tea. She hadn't taken any time to meditate this morning, but she wanted to keep her thoughts somehow raw, to enable her to focus on what she could remember from the vision. She took her steaming mug and sat on one of the stools, tucking her feet up beneath her. She focused as hard as she could, her mind bringing back memories in snippets and flashes.

The doors swished open and in walked the cybernetic man. Raven smiled to greet him, as he wandered in with a happy smile on his face. She eyed him curiously. "Good morning, Cyborg?"

She posed it as a question, but the intonation was barely noticeable. It could have been taken as a simple statement to the untuned ear. Fortunately for Raven, Cyborg had lived with her long enough to pick up on her little nuances with ease.

"Yes, it is, little lady," he smiled, rattling pots and pans out of the cupboard. "The sun is shinin', the birds are singin' and my favourite bird of all is right here keepin' me company."

"Witty," remarked Raven, sipping her tea. She tilted her head to one side. "I'm pleased to see you too. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feelin' hungry," responded her metal friend, getting various items out of the fridge to cook. "That pasta seems like a long time ago."

Raven noted his deflection and stayed with it. She encircled her hands around the warm mug. Time to try another tactic. "It was kind of you to cook after your long trip."

"Ah, it's no problem," smiled the cybernetic man, emerging from the fridge and kicking the door closed. He placed his items down ready to cook. "I'm always happy to feed my little family."

"Your little family is most grateful," replied the empath, somewhat sarcastically. She met his eyes and they both smiled. "We're also grateful you got back in one piece. It sounds like the Titans East were in full force."

"Oh yeah, you know what they're like," answered Cy, heating up the pans and putting some food into them. It began to sizzle. "Once you're there you just can't get away."

"How are they all doing? Did they manage okay without Bee?"

"Oh yeah," nodded her friend, a little quieter. "I think they were fine. They had some help from Jinx and Kid Flash."

He paused, as the food cooked. He pushed it around with a spatula. Raven stayed with the silence, waiting to see where he would go with their conversation. "They're all the same, to answer your earlier question. Speedy is just as arrogant, Mas y Menos are just as crazy and the pretty boy still smells like fish."

"I never noticed," laughed Raven, taking another sip of her tea. "But I'll take your word for it."

"You and Star never noticed because you're always too busy batting your eyes at him like this," laughed the cybernetic man, imitating the girls going goo-goo eyed. Raven shot him a little glare.

"That was a long time ago," she snapped, dryly. "Pretty boys like Garth are _so_ yesterday's news."

"If you say so," grinned Cy, staring at the cooker and not meeting her eye. He glanced at her cheekily. "Maybe your interests are invested elsewhere these days anyway."

Raven felt her face heating under her hood. She swallowed and kept her voice level. "I don't know what you mean."

"No, of course you don't," teased Cy, flipping his eggs around and grabbing a plate from the cupboard. "Hey, girl. I'm only messin'."

Raven didn't take him up on his comment, but instead tried to slow her heartrate down as the metal man sat opposite her with his food. "I'll let it go this once. I was more concerned about you, anyway."

Cyborg was shovelling forkfuls into his mouth, seemingly oblivious to her comments. "Hmmph?"

"Cy, look. It isn't my place to pry but we were all surprised to see how cheerful you were yesterday considering...well. You know," began Raven, uncertainly. She took another sip of her tea. "We care about you, that's all."

Cyborg swallowed his breakfast and reached his hand out towards her gently. "I'm fine. Honestly. I thought about what you said, and we had a chat is all. I'm not sure I wanna say more than that right now. You know?"

"Understood," smiled Raven, patting his hand gently. "I'm glad you're alright. I won't probe you any further. But thanks for being honest with me."

"Thanks Rae," smiled Cy, quietly. He picked up his dishes and dumped them into the sink. The rate at which he ate terrified the empath beyond reason. He continued, obliviously. "So how you feelin' anyways? That vision knocked you about yesterday."

"Oh, um. Better, I suppose," responded the Azarathian, her mind flickering to the previous evening's events. "I'm a little shaken but it's nothing I can't handle."

"It's nothin' you'll _have_ to handle alone. Did you and birdy make up?"

"Yeah, he apologised," nodded Raven, affirmatively. She drank her tea, finishing the dregs of the mug. "And so did I."

"Y'all are far too similar, that's the problem," laughed Cyborg, running the hot water. "You care too damn much about everyone else."

Raven smiled. It was true that they had certain similarities. That would inevitably cause clashes, she mused. Cy was whistling as he cleared up. In the spirit of the past 24 hours, she decided to stay with honesty. "Cy, in truth I need to talk to you all about this vision. I had another one last night and it's clarified a few things. We need to explore that and to work out a plan."

Cyborg inhaled sharply at her admission, looking at her with some concern. "Rae, are you-?"

"I'm fine," interrupted the empath, reassuringly. She pulled her hood down as if to prove the fact. "It's not a _pleasant_ experience to see you all like that. But Robin's right. We have to try everything we can to stop it from happening."

"I hear ya," nodded Cy, still looking a little concerned. His face softened. "Hey, thanks for bein' honest with me. You're doin' a lot of that lately, huh?"

"Maybe. I'm trying something new," conceded the young woman, her lilac eyes shining. "I think after all this time...after Trigon...after everything...well, I owe you all a little honesty. I owe you all my trust."

"You owe us nothin'," replied the cybernetic man, drying his hands and sitting opposite her. He paused. "But, like I said yesterday, it suits you."

Raven smiled, her eyes full of sarcasm. "Don't get too comfortable. This doesn't mean I'll be sharing all my deepest, darkest secrets with you."

Cyborg laughed and held up his hands. "I'm not sure I'd want to know. Mystical creatures, magic from Azarath...maybe even secret lovers? Count me out."

Raven knew that Cy was joking around with her, but she felt the panic rising in her throat. Why did he keep saying all these strange things? He couldn't know...could he? That was a coincidence, right? She stumbled a little in her body language, colour rising to her cheeks.

The metal man's eyes rested on her, his eyebrow quirked. "You okay?"

"Yes! Yes, why wouldn't I be? I mean...everything's fine!" stammered the empath, clumsily.

"Raven..."

"What?"

"You're literally beet red. Come on, what's going on?" replied Cyborg, flashing her a strange look.

"I _don't_ blush!" growled Raven, pulling her hood up. Her lilac eyes glared out at him angrily. "What could I possibly have to blush about?"

"I dunno," shrugged Cy, a teasing smile pulling at his lips. He leaned forward conspiratorially, glee written all over his face. "Maybe I was too close to the mark with the secret lover comment?"

"Listen, you—" hissed Raven, fire in her eyes. Her hand had raised to point at him angrily. Before she had chance to finish her sentence, Robin and Starfire entered ops. They looked over at the fuming empath, and almost took a step back in unison.

"Uh-oh," stated Robin, half joking. "Starting to wind Raven up a little early, aren't we Cy?"

"He wasn't...I mean—we were just..." began Raven, unable to find her words easily. She felt wobbled, shaken. The mug in her hand cracked with black energy and crumbled to pieces. She glared at it, her heart pounding.

"I'm just messin' with her. We're all good, right Raven?" responded Cy, saving her from further embarrassment. She looked at him gratefully and nodded, despite her ire. He gave her a conciliatory look then turned back to Robin. "So, what's up?"

"We're going to get everyone together for a meeting about Raven's vision," replied Robin, commandingly. The other two Titans nodded. "Beast Boy not around?"

"I dunno. Do you know, Raven?" asked Cy, innocently. His eyes held something that made her anger rise again. She took a deep breath.

" _How should I know?"_ she shot back, her voice sizzling. Cyborg looked amused at her anger. Robin shrugged.

"No big deal, guys. I'll go get him," replied the boy wonder, nonchalantly. "You know how he is, he always sleeps late."

"Cool. I'll go grab my computer and some other bits for the meeting then," responded Cy, jumping to his feet and walking towards the door to ops. It swished shut after them. Starfire floated closer to her friend, looking a bit nervous.

"You are okay?"

Raven could almost feel steam coming out of her ears, she felt so frustrated. This was why she didn't want the others to know. She didn't want attention. She knew they wouldn't understand, that they would make fun. It was all a big joke to them. They could only see the goth girl and the green joker, not the two mature adults they had become. She sighed, knowing that Starfire wasn't within that category. The Tameranean had a better grasp on the situation than most. She brushed the white ceramic pieces into her hand then walked over to the bin.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to answer the princess civilly. "Sure, Star. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Cyborg, he was doing the teasing," stated Star, shrugging. "Pushing the buttons."

"Yes, he was definitely doing that," replied Raven, sighing. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she closed the bin with her foot. "You didn't say anything, did you?"

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Star, looking a little hurt. Her face softened as she recalled the empath's trust issues. "Friend, what he knows is through other means, if at all. He may have just been trying to...what is the phrase? Do the pulling of the chain?"

"Close enough," sighed Raven, again. She folded her arms and leant on the side, staring down at the floor hard. Star still hovered near her, looking inquisitively at her.

"You are...okay?"

"You already asked that," stated Raven coldly, knowing why her friend was lingering. She flicked her lilac eyes up towards her alien friend. "I know what you're asking Star. Yes, we spoke and yes, we're trying out...whatever this thing is. No, I don't want to talk about it. Especially to the boys."

Starfire tried to keep her emotions under control, but Raven could sense the spike in her excitement and she couldn't help but relax her emotionless attitude for a moment. Her arms unfolded as she looked at her best friend, with a knowing smile. "You're happy."

"I am," conceded Star, allowing herself to smile widely. She spun around in the air brightly, her hands wrapped together. "I think you have made the right choice. You will see. It is joyous to be in love."

"Yeah," remarked Raven, her eyes fixed on the floor. That silly smile was back on her face. "It is."

* * *

Cyborg caught pace with Robin outside of ops before he had gone too far. "Hey, Rob!"

"Cy?" questioned their leader, turning to face him. "Everything cool?"

"Yeah, for sure. I just wanted to speak to you for a moment, before the meeting," explained the metal man, quickly. Robin looked at him for a moment then nodded.

"Sure," he stated, plainly. Cy smiled and pointed towards his room.

"Walk and talk?"

"You got it," responded the boy wonder, as they started to pace towards the cybernetic man's quarters. "So, what's going on?"

"I just wanted to start by sayin' that I'm glad to hear that things are sorted between you and Raven," began Cy, his dark eyes flashing. Robin looked over to meet them and gave a small smile. The metal man returned the smile then shrugged. "She seemed to be glad that you guys were tight again. I was sayin' to her, the trouble is y'all are too similar."

"Yeah, yeah. Birds of a feather and all that," replied Robin, flippantly. His expression softened slightly. "I guess I'm glad things are okay too. I wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary rifts in the team."

"Understandably," nodded the metal man, as he opened the door to his room. The two walked inside and the door swished shut. "Besides, y'all are going to need to be tight to weather the Raven storm that is comin' our way."

Robin looked a little confused by his companion's comment and raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean 'Raven storm'? As in a storm caused by Raven?"

"Oh yeah," smiled Cy, reaching around his desk to grab his laptop and some other gear. "Big time."

Robin narrowed his eyes; his mind flicking quickly to try and work out what the cybernetic man was getting at. "You know something. Spill."

"Hey, you're the detective here," laughed Cyborg, placing his items down on the table momentarily and folding his arms. He leaned back on his desk and raised an eyebrow. "But if my sleuthin' skills are to be trusted, I think that 'the day' has finally arrived."

"The day?" questioned Robin, still completely clueless. He felt frustration creeping over him. "What are you driving at Cyborg?"

"The day that we've all anticipated for years," grinned the cybernetic man, trying to get the boy wonder's mind to snap to his line of conversation. It wasn't getting through; he needed to be more blatant. "I think _they've_ finally realised how they feel about each other."

Click. Cyborg could see the penny dropping in Robin's head. His masked eyes widened as he finally cottoned on to what his friend meant. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothin'," shrugged Cy, nonchalantly. He gave a little grin. "It's what she didn't say that told me everything I need to know."

Robin looked confused again. Cy grabbed his shoulder with a large metal hand.

"Nonverbals, man," he stated, calmly. "Nonverbals. Girl's got it _bad_. Trust me on this one."

"Are you sure?"

Cyborg nodded, releasing the young man from his grasp. He straightened up. "Look, I've not spoken to the green man, but I'm pretty sure. Just thought you'd want to be aware of it."

"Thanks. But we can't do anything," responded Robin, calmly. Cyborg looked at him in surprise. Robin looked firmly at his friend. "That's an order. They'll talk to us when they're ready. Look, you said Raven and I were similar and you're right. I do get the way her mind works. If you try and push this, you'll do more damage than you realise."

"In what way?"

"Because Raven is probably freaking out about all of this. She's most likely worried about what we will all think for starters," responded Robin, rubbing his chin with his gloved hand as he contemplated his Azarathian friend. "If they've decided to give it a shot then I'm guessing it took him a lot of convincing, or at least she is nervous about it all going wrong. She doesn't trust people easily, Cy. You know that."

Cy nodded but still looked confused. He was trying to apply his own reason to the situation. "But she's know BB for years. Surely the girl trusts him by now?"

"In a friendship capacity, no doubt," responded Robin, folding his arms across himself. "But in a romantic capacity? Whole new ball game. Trust me. She'll be freaking out. We need to leave her be. She'll tell us when she's ready."

"Wow," sighed the metal man, picking up his bits and pieces from the desk. "I guess you're right. I hope the little dude knows what he's got himself into with this situation."

"I'm sure he does. Strange as it might sound, I think he's exactly the right person for the job. He's resilient; he doesn't take her anger too personally. He's kind; he will treat her right. He's stable; he'll give her security. But most of all, he's got it bad too. Maybe even worse than she does," smiled Robin, unfolding his arms and straightening up. "I can see why they would work together. But it's a long road and it's going to take a lot of time. So, you know what that means?"

Cyborg gave another long sigh and then saluted their leader with his free arm. "Raven storms ho, cap'n."


	26. Chapter 26 - Meditation and Rooms

**Author's note:** **Hopefully this chapter will answer some plot questions you all have. Taygon55 this is for you! Don't worry, I won't kill the Titans off and I won't go beyond the realms of believability. Just stay with it all, ok? ;) In terms of this chapter, there is a BBRae line which is from one of the comics (almost word for word). I'm not stealing, just trying to make Raven as close to her true character as possible. Enjoy, and thank you for all your kind comments, reviews and just for generally being awesome people.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six – Meditation and Rooms**

As the three male Titans entered ops, the two young women turned to face them slowly. Raven's eyes met Garfield's for a split second and a connection passed between them. She gave the smallest smile and he gave the faintest wink, almost imperceptible to the others. Then they carried on as if everything was normal before the moment passed into nothingness.

"So, team," began Robin, formally. Everyone seated themselves comfortably on the couches, with Cy and Beast Boy at one end and Starfire and Raven at the other. They looked up at their leader with anticipation. "We're here to discuss Raven's vision. Yesterday temperatures flared between us. Now we have had time to reconcile and organise ourselves and we need to think strategically."

Everyone stared in silence, a few nods around the room. Robin pointed a clicker towards the window and a large screen was projected. It was blank, but in the centre was the Teen Titans logo. On it were little virtual counters for each Titan; Red for Robin, Blue for Cyborg, Green for Beast Boy, Orange for Starfire and Purple for Raven. "Today, we work it all out and devise a plan of action. We work out what we're each doing. How we're doing it. How we work together as a team."

Robin turned towards the screen and pressed a button on his clicker. Raven's purple counter became larger on the screen and he turned towards the empath. "Raven, we start with you. Your vision is central to all of this."

"Yes," agreed the lavender haired woman, pushing her hood down and folding her legs into the meditative position absently. "I have something to share with you, now we're all together. I had the same vision again last night; it came to me in the middle of the evening, like some kind of waking nightmare."

"Friend!" exclaimed Starfire, concern on her face. Her jade eyes glinted anxiously. "But you are not hurt?"

"No," replied Raven, her eyes flicking to Garfield's for a nanosecond. He was staring at her with intent, a small smile on his lips. She could sense the protective feelings pouring from his chest and it made her heart beat quicken. She blinked, remaining emotionless as she looked towards Starfire again. "I'm okay, Star. Don't worry. This time I knew what was happening, but I wanted to try to remember as many details as I could to be clearer. To help us beat this somehow."

Her eyes flicked over to Robin who nodded with approval. She continued. "The first thing I want to tell you is that I got it wrong yesterday. The initials weren't SS. They were SSOSV."

Cyborg was typing into his laptop, which was hooked up to the main screen. The letters appeared across the top. Robin eyed them curiously. He rubbed his hand across his chin, as he always did when he was contemplating. "I see. But what does it mean?"

"It formed part of a logo of some kind. I think it's an acronym," clarified the empath, quietly.

"An acro-what?" said Beast Boy, curiously. Cyborg sighed a little.

"An acronym, genius. It means the letters stand for something. Like how we call you BB - that's an acronym for Beast Boy," the cybernetic man explained. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that was just because you were too stupid to remember my full name," smirked the changeling, folding his arms. Cy gave him a death glare and Garfield gave a toothy grin. "Kidding! Carry on."

"Anyway," continued Robin, ignoring Beast Boy's outburst. "An acronym. That's interesting. I think I'll contact Bruce, see if we can dig something out. It may be some kind of underground organisation."

"Good shout," nodded Cy, typing into the computer. "We could be here for years tryin' to just _guess_ at it."

Robin nodded and pressed the clicker again; the Batman signal moved up and sat on top of his red counter. He motioned to Raven to continue. Her amethyst eyes flashed. "The things which I listed for you yesterday – do you recall them?"

"The Omega, a gorilla, a cheater, a stroke of death and tomorrow," began Robin, listing them out from memory. Starfire looked at him admiringly, marvelling at his recollection. His brow furrowed in thought. "Did I miss one?"

"A massacre," came a quiet voice. All the other four Titans turned to look at Beast Boy. Robin raised his eyebrows, as the green changeling looked sheepish. "That's the last one, right Rae? A massacre?"

Raven nodded, slightly dumbfounded that he'd also managed to commit the list to memory. Secretly, she was quite impressed. "That's right, Beast Boy. A massacre."

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, digesting the words. Raven's calm tones spoke again, disturbing them all from their thoughts. "They are all people. I said this to you yesterday, but I can visualise them better since the second vision."

"One by one then," began Robin, sitting down and looking at the empath. "We need as much detail as you can remember, no matter how disjointed it may seem."

"Okay, give me a prompt and I'll try to remember," said Raven closing her eyes and centring herself. She crossed her legs and became meditative. She softly repeated her mantra in her mind. Robin looked over towards Cyborg.

"Cy, make notes on what she says. Star, Beast Boy, pay attention. We'll take this slowly," stated the boy wonder, calmly. He turned towards the young woman. "Raven, here we go. Omega."

"The Omega," repeated the empath, in a trance like state. Her voice sounded far away and drifting. She traced an omega symbol with her finger in the air. "This sign. Purple. Red eyes. A God. Very powerful."

Robin nodded and motioned towards Cy, who gave a thumbs-up. He was noting the details down, and they appeared on the screen as the Azarathian spoke them. The boy wonder looked at Star and nodded.

"A gorilla," the Tameranean said, softly. Her eyes were trained on her friend and unmoving. Concentration lined her face.

"The gorilla. Not a man. Not a changeling. Mind control. Very intelligent," stated Raven's quiet voice. She had begun to levitate off the couch, her cloak fluttering beneath her. As she spoke the text flew up onto the screen, typed by the cybernetic man's hand.

"A cheater," came the light voice of Beast Boy. He was looking at Raven, eyes full of a concern for her being in this state. He knew he needed to be professional, but he worried she was pushing herself too soon.

"Cheater. Spots and fur. Female. The hunt. Chemically enhanced somehow."

More text on the screen. Robin took his turn to speak, his brow furrowed with focus. "A stroke of death."

Raven's own eyes furrowed, her face contorted. Her expression changed. She looked confused, slipping out of her trance slightly. "No, not...not...can't be. I can't quite-"

Robin feared they were losing her train of thought and made a snap decision. "Move on. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is a genius," stated the empath, her chakra starting to glow slightly. "Creates to destroy."

"A massacre," said Beast Boy, repeating his earlier statement. Robin looked at him approvingly for taking initiative, then turned back towards the lavender haired woman. Sweat had broken on her brow.

"I...It's so horrible," she stated, beginning to twitch around in her meditative state. "I can't focus."

" _Try_ Raven, tell us about the massacre," came Robin's voice, pressing her just a little harder. The changeling's grip on the couch tightened. He wanted to rescue her, but he knew she needed to do this. Starfire looked equally agitated, seeing the strain it was putting on her friend. Cy stared silently, poised to note down any memories.

"Wonder Woman, but she's wrong," stated Raven, sweat dripping down her face. The chakra glow was pulsating. Although her eyes were closed, she looked around as if speaking to someone. "Why is she wrong? What have you done?"

"Robin," said the Tameranean, tugging at his arm anxiously. "Do you not think we should stop?"

"No, we need to know," shot back their leader, a clinical tone to his voice. He stared at the half-demon. "What did they do, Raven?"

"The DNA. They went too far," she continued, looking confused at the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. "It's...it's a genetic m-monster."

Her speech was starting to fade, she could feel the vision slipping from her grasp. She could feel someone's eyes watching her from somewhere else and she let out a little gasp of pain and fear.

"Robin, we need to stop," said Beast Boy, jumping to his feet upon hearing her discomfort. "Hasn't she done enough?"

Robin looked at Beast Boy, then at Starfire. They both were giving him the same pleading look. Cyborg was staring at him and nodding silently in agreement with his teammates. He sighed. Turning towards the Azarathian, he could see she was struggling between two states of consciousness. Black tendrils were escaping from beneath her cloak and reaching outwards. He walked over and took hold of her shoulders gently.

"That's enough, Raven. Come back," he stated, firmly. She slowly levitated back onto the couch, half collapsing as she landed. She was clearly exhausted. Her eyes flickered open as the pulsating glow stopped, and the tendrils withdrew. She panted a little, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Did I...was that...enough?" she breathed, reaching for her hood. It always gave her comfort at times of distress. Robin nodded and offered her a small smile.

"That was a good start," he acknowledged, giving her shoulders a light squeeze before retracting. "I'm sorry it was so hard on you, but we needed to know."

Raven nodded, understandingly and met his masked eyes. "It's fine, I agreed to do it. I knew the risks."

"Friend, you must rest now," stated Starfire, moving closer to her and rubbing her hand up and down her friend's arm soothingly. "We shall explore things more calmly."

"I got all the information down, but there's nothin' here that's makin' much sense to me right now," began Cy, tapping away at his computer. He looked up at Robin. "The only two things standing out are Wonder Woman's name and that DNA issue that Batman mentioned some time ago. But it's all kinda vague. My suggestion that you and I start diggin' into this. Do some research. Figure out what's really goin' on here. Maybe pass some of this onto the Justice League even."

Cyborg clicked on his screen, and the blue and red counters were placed under a research heading, all of the smaller boxes with each person's information scattered around them like a spider diagram. "Thoughts?"

"Good plan, Cy," replied the boy wonder, nodding approvingly. He rubbed his chin in contemplation. "You're right, we've got some clear leads now, but they need expansion. It's going to take some time. Starfire, in the meantime I think that you, Raven and Beast Boy need to get started on some extra training and planning. Strategy as well as just duking it out in the gym. We need to think logically about where our skills are lacking. Plan out more coded attacks, ones which they might not expect."

Starfire nodded, her warrior side firing with glee at his words. "I am ready for the challenge, Robin. Between the three of us I am certain we will be able to create some new plans and amend any current blind spots that we may have."

The counters moved on the screen accordingly, with Starfire's orange one heading up training. Robin looked at Raven.

"Raven, I know that this is tough for you, but I need you to try and mediate daily, to try and remember as much as you can. If any other details come back to you, or if there are any further visions then you need to come and speak to me. You are our eyes and ears here. Anything you sense, anything you feel, anything you see...we need it."

"Understood," replied the empath, her lilac eyes unfaltering beneath her hood. Her purple counter headed up reconnaissance on the screen. "I'll do what I can."

Robin smiled and turned towards the final Titan. Beast Boy's emerald eyes looked at him, full of concern and attention. "Beast Boy, I've got something special in mind for you. I need to speak with you alone; it's top secret and I can't risk anyone else becoming embroiled in it."

"Got you, dude," replied the green man, nodding towards their leader. Robin turned to them all.

"We're in a better position than we were yesterday. With some work, I think we can be ahead of the game. We can change the vision, just like we did before. I believe in us; all of us. We just need to be smart and work together."

He offered them a smile. "Dismissed. All except you, Beast Boy. You stay here with me for a few minutes."

The other three Titans stood up and walked out of ops, leaving the other two alone as requested. Raven felt a flutter of fear at the realisation that Beast Boy would be given a mission that she wouldn't know about. What if it was dangerous? If he got hurt? Or worse? She felt the electricity rising in her body and pushed the thoughts out of her head defiantly.

"Hey, Raven," came the familiar voice of Cyborg. She lifted her eyes towards his, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good work in there, girl. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about your room."

"Oh, okay," replied the empath, a little distracted by her current thoughts, and the extreme exhaustion coursing through her body. "What's up?"

"I'm going to start working on it now, before I get crackin' on the research. If you're needin' space to meditate and do your 'recon' then it's gotta be up there on the priorities list," began the cybernetic man, smiling kindly. Raven returned the smile gratefully as he continued to speak. "It'll probably take me a few hours. I'll come and find you when I'm done, let you know. That way you can move your stuff back right away. No time like the present, right?"

Raven nodded, frankly too tired to argue, speak or offer any witty retort. She motioned towards the spare room. "I need to rest."

"Of course, friend," stated Starfire, kindly. "I am going to go and make the plans in my room. If you are needing me then do come by. I suggest that we meet later on this afternoon to discuss our decisions for the training plan."

"Sure, Star," agreed the empath, feeling her powers threating to explode if she didn't find a bed soon. "I'd better go."

The other two Titans nodded in understanding as she trudged off heavily down the corridor.

* * *

Hours passed, and eventually Raven's lilac eyes fluttered open and focused on the spare room's strange décor. She sat up in the bed, noticing that her nap had helped her feel more comfortable. Her powers were a little unstable, as she hadn't spent any time meditating. Following the repetition of the vision, she knew that she could do with some time to find her centre. Sighing, she swung her legs out of the bed and stretched them out gingerly.

There was a pounding, heavy knock on the door. She knew who it was without even having to ask. "Yes?"

"It's Cy," came the response she was expecting. Standing up she walked to the door and pressed the button to open the metal covering. Cyborg stood there looking vaguely apologetic. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I'd actually just woken up," admitted the empath, a strangely guilty smile on her lips. "I feel better, but I'm in _desperate_ need of meditation."

"Well, in that case, I come bearin' amazin' news!" exclaimed her metal friend, brightly. "Your room's all fixed up. Head back in when you're ready."

Raven smiled widely, forgetting herself for a moment as she threw her arms around the cybernetic man. It was just the boost she needed to have her own space again. "Thanks, Cy."

The metal man looked a little shaken at her gesture but patted her on the back gently. "Ahh, you're welcome little lady. Y'all need a hand movin' back in?"

"I've only got a few bits and pieces," stated Raven, retracting from him and walking over to the draws to get her clothes back out. Her eyes fell on Bee's letter. She looked back over at Cy and bit her lip. He looked at her curiously and she sighed. She took the letter in her hands and gave it to him. "Here. Don't read it now. Wait until you're back in your room."

"Okay?" responded Cyborg, concerned and intrigued.

"Trust me on this. Anyway, you can head back now - I'll be fine taking my things back in," added the empath, giving him the go ahead to leave and read it. "Thanks to you I'll have my room back. You've done enough, I can handle a few spare leotards and bedsheets on my own."

Cyborg smiled and nodded, clutching the paper in his hand. "I'll see you later on then."

Raven nodded in return and gave a wave, grabbing her things together quickly. Suddenly, she felt excited to be back in her own space. It had only been a few days but had seemed so long. It was as though her room was part of her, somehow. She turned her eyes back and noted that the cybernetic man had left silently. Her eyes filled with concern; she hoped that giving him the note was the right thing to do. Taking one last look at Bee's old room, she flicked the lights off and let the door close behind her.

* * *

Raven was settled in her new room and felt in a good place. She'd lit her candles and done her meditation. She sat on the edge of the bed, admiring the good job that her cybernetic friend had made of the repairs. They were invisible to the untrained eye. Her lilac orbs were drawn to the window. It was starting to get later than she had initially realised; the light had begun to fade. Her mind wandered to the changeling. She hadn't seen him properly since that morning, but not at all since his meeting with Robin. Her brow furrowed slightly. What was it he said? Text him anytime? She eyed her communicator as though it had the plague, and then looked back out at the darkening sky.

Sighing, she decided to be brave again and lifted the communicator to her eyes in the half light. She typed and scanned the message as before, a small smile on her lips.

 _Cy fixed my room up. Good to have my own space again. Come and see the renovations? Rx_

She pressed send, biting her lip with anxiety. She wondered why sending these messages still filled her with these strange feelings despite the fact that she had already spoken with Beast Boy about it the previous evening. A ping went off in her hands and she looked down at it, expectantly. She opened the message.

 _Want to but can't. Wish I could explain. Will be there later, promise. Gx_

Raven's eyes narrowed. Where had Robin sent him? She reached out with her senses. He wasn't in the tower. She sighed, feeling a little frustrated. It was so much easier for Star and Robin, being so open about their relationship. Whilst this clandestine affair continued it was going to prove increasingly difficult to try and communicate without arousing suspicion. She sighed deeply and flopped back onto the bed. Star did say about meeting up later. She wondered whether she should go and speak with her. Plus, she noticed she was a little hungry and remembered she hadn't eaten all day. With another sigh, she dragged herself off the bed and headed down to the Tameranean's room. She knocked, curtly.

"Starfire?"

"Yes, friend!" trilled the familiar voice, and the door whizzed open. Star beamed at her. "You are looking much better! I have been working hard on the plans today, would you like to see?"

"Later, Star. I'm starving. Can we eat and talk?"

"Of course! I have a tin of mustard which is imprinted with my name, as they say!" exclaimed the young redheaded woman, spinning out of her door and heading down the corridor. She had her pink pad and a pen clutched to her chest. Raven smiled at her friend's glee. It was endearing to see how proud she was of herself.

"Sounds good."

As they sat down and munched on their various chosen items from the kitchen's store, Raven started to feel a little better. She went to fill the kettle for a soothing cup of tea, to complete her comfortable feeling. She flicked the switch on as Starfire skimmed through her pink notepad and chewed on her pen.

"Friend, I have designed these different coded attacks as Robin has suggested, but I am certain I am missing something," she stated, a touch of frustration in her normally jovial voice. She sighed and placed the pen down onto the pad hard. "I am doing the giving up for today."

"It's going to be a long process, Kori," reassured the empath, pouring the boiling water into her mug. "Don't be too hard on yourself."

"You are the right," nodded Star, sipping her mustard through a straw noisily. Raven couldn't help but curl her lip in slight disgust as she sat down with her mug of herbal tea. Starfire was oblivious. "How about your 'reconnaissance' as they called it? How is that going?"

"Slow too," admitted Raven, wrapping her hands around the mug. "I've managed to centre myself following the trance I went into with you all. But I can't see or sense anything much else at the moment."

"Yes, I presumed it would be so," conceded the Tameranean, swirling the straw between her fingers. Her jade eyes flicked up with some concern. "You must be careful friend, not to push yourself too hard."

"I promise to try," smiled Raven, sipping the warm liquid. Starfire looked around the room over her shoulder as if to check that no one was around before she spoke. Her voice was hushed.

"What about friend Beast Boy? Should he not be part of our meeting?"

"You don't have to whisper about that, Star," replied Raven, coolly. She sighed and shook her head, knowing she was responding that way due to her own concerns. "Sorry. I haven't seen him since this morning. Since Robin sent him on that special mission."

"Oh yes," recalled Starfire, suddenly. "The special mission, I wonder what that could be. I suppose there must be a good reason for us not knowing; it will be because Robin is wanting to keep us safe."

"But who's keeping _Beast Boy_ safe?" questioned the empath, quietly. Her eyes were trained on the swirling dark tea in her hand. Starfire's gaze softened, and she reached out to touch her friend's hand reassuringly.

"He is stronger than you realise, friend. He will be fine. I am certain Robin would have not sent him into unnecessary danger, or more danger than he was able to cope with," stated the princess, her eyes firm but kind. "You must have the faith. That is what being in a relationship is all about."

Raven raised her eyebrow at her friend, but she didn't offer a response. She sighed deeply and looked back down at her drink. Starfire continued.

"We are still a team, we must be apart to do missions. To face the danger. It is part of who we are."

"I know it is, but it's just...this is so hard," replied Raven, rubbing her chakra with her free hand. She looked at her friend, slowly. "Not just knowing he's in danger but trying to control my emotions whilst he's away. It feels like if I stop concentrating for a second then the room will explode."

Starfire couldn't help but let out a small giggle at her friend's statement. Raven gave a small smile as the atmosphere broke. She let out the lightest of laughs. Starfire opened her pad and pushed it towards the empath, grinning.

"Here," she stated, pointing at the page. "Use your anger to fuel our plans. Let us do something productive with those emotions."

Raven thought for a moment. Hesitantly she reached towards the pen and picked it up. Her lilac eyes flicked up towards the Tameranean's. She gave a sly smile. "Let's do this."

The two female Titans worked for several hours in ops, before finally calling it a day. Raven was yawning widely and excused herself back to her room. Exhaustion was calling to her, and there was still no sign of Beast Boy. She tried to ignore the gnawing pain in her stomach. Anxiety. She pulled her cloak around herself as she entered her space.

Lighting some candles, she flicked the lights off and sat cross legged on her bed. She took a few deep and centring breaths. The anxiety was rising to a pitch that she was struggling to manage. Her items in the bedroom began to rattle violently as she felt the panic rising. Whilst drawing up the plans with Star had provided some much-needed distraction, her soul self was itching to get out.

"I'm _not_ going to look for him," she told herself firmly, closing her eyes. "Robin made the mission secret for a reason. I have to trust, have faith. Breathe. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Raven quietly meditated for some time, until she felt her body relax. Levitating gently back onto the bed, she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the semi-darkness. Silence. The Tower was bathed in it, she noticed. Her eyes flickered to the window and she realised that it was dark. Glancing at her clock, she realised that night had fallen once again. Sighing, she shifted from her bed and walked over to her wardrobe to change into her pyjamas. Exhaustion was creeping over her.

Suddenly her communicator pinged, and she turned to look at it suspiciously. Flicking the screen open she saw a message appear.

 _Still up for a visit? Gx_

She smiled, relief pouring all over her body. She typed out a response, noticing her fingers now flowing across the pad with ease.

 _I could be persuaded for the right person. Rx_

She softly closed the screen with a click and placed the communicator down on her bedside table. She seated herself back on her bed and patiently waited. A flash revealed the green man before her. He looked his normal cheerful self, his green eyes full of pleasure to see her. She gave him a genuine smile and lowered her hood.

"Hello, Gar."

"Hello, Rae."

She couldn't take it a moment longer. Pushing herself to her feet she ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his desperately. He was surprised at first by her gesture of passion, but soon responded, wrapping his arms around her. She could feel him smiling against her mouth and broke away. She gave him her best Raven glare.

"Don't smile, I was _worried_ about you," she growled, clutching his uniform between her fingers. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," laughed the changeling, rubbing his hands up and down her back soothingly as she clutched him tightly. "I was just doing what Robin asked me to."

"Which was?"

Garfield fixed her with a serious gaze. "You know I can't tell you that, Raven. It was a _secret_ mission, remember?"

She pouted at him a little, but then rolled her eyes and sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm just glad you're back in one piece."

"Aww, you're so cute when you're worried," teased the green man, poking her lightly on the nose. She glared at him again, but there was a small smile pulling at her lips. He laughed at her, and then pulled her into a deep hug. She could feel him breathing against her. It made her shudder involuntarily as he spoke. "I'm glad to be back, I missed you."

Raven felt herself blushing, those nerves creeping over her again. She didn't know how to respond so she stayed silent, hugging him back tightly. They broke apart a few minutes later and stood facing each other. Their hands were still entwined.

Garfield glanced around the room, a little nervously. "You weren't lying about Cy doing a good job. Place looks good as new."

Raven eyed him curiously. She smiled, arching her eyebrow at him. "You're _still_ tense being in here, aren't you? You have my permission to be in my room, Garfield Logan."

He looked at her defiantly at the mention of his full name, but there was a small smile playing on his lips. "Empath. I keep forgetting."

"After all this time," laughed Raven, lightly. She tugged him towards the bed and they both sat down and looked at each other. The changeling's expression became more intense and Raven tilted her head slightly to the side, inquiringly. Her lavender hair fell down onto her knee. "What?"

"I just keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this will all be a dream," admitted the changeling, his face colouring slightly. He rubbed his head awkwardly. "It still doesn't feel real being here with you."

Raven reached over and touched her pale hand to his face gently. "I can promise you it's real. But you're right, it's been a strange day. I'm sorry if I worried you earlier, I could see the look on your face after our meeting."

The green shapeshifter's face hardened at the memory, and he sighed. "I guess I worry that Robin pushes you too hard. Sometimes he forgets we're people; we're more than just our job. More than just heroes."

"He's just doing his best," countered Raven, letting her hand rest back down and shrugging. "He wasn't making me do anything I didn't already agree to, Gar."

"I know that, it's just..." began Beast Boy before he trailed off awkwardly. Raven looked at his face and could feel the concern in him. She squeezed his hand and he looked at her.

"Tell me," she urged, her lilac eyes gazing at him intently. He bit his lip with his fang, struggling to find the right words.

"Since yesterday things feel different," he began, slowly. "Everything is heightened in me. Concern. Protectiveness. Rae, I just want to hold you all the time and make sure you're safe. Now that you're mine, I don't want anything to happen to you. But I know that we have a part to play in the team, and I don't ever want to stop you from doing that. We're Titans, it's part of who we are."

Raven smiled at his loving words and rested her forehead against his gently. "I've felt exactly the same all day. All joking aside, Gar, I've been worried out of my mind wondering where you were. It was like the anxiety was eating me from the inside out. I've never felt that way before about anyone. Dread so powerful I thought it would consume me, if I let it."

They stayed in silence; their foreheads pressed together, and their eyes closed. Raven ran her thumb over his hand absently, unsure whether she was soothing him or herself. She knew she needed to say what was on her mind, but she was frightened to. She sighed before opening her mouth and allowing the words to tumble out.

"Do you think we made a mistake?" asked the empath, reluctantly. Her eyes flickered open. "That maybe we would have been better staying as friends?"

Garfield's eyes opened in response to the question, and he looked at her pale face. Her heart had quickened pace, and he could smell a physiological change in her. Fear. He reached up and ran his hand along her cheek and jawline gently and lovingly.

"No," he stated, simply. "I wouldn't change this. For every second of panic, I wouldn't change being here with you. This is all I want."

"And I don't want to reject positive emotions because I'm scared of the negative ones," conceded the Azarathian, her eyes faltering and looking at the floor. "I've done it for years; I won't do it anymore. I won't censor myself. Being in love with you is worth challenging it. Challenging myself."

Garfield felt his own heart pick up pace at her words. He wasn't lying; he couldn't believe that he was sitting here with Raven, hearing her say these things to him. He gently tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck again, tousling them in his dark green hair. He pulled her closer, his arms nestling around the base of her back.

Raven felt his varied emotions mingling and sweeping over her; love, passion, desire, affection. Each one hit her with equal power and measure. She could feel her own emotions pushing back; each one matching his in strength and power. Her own disbelief at their present situation was suspended as he continued to press himself into her. In these moments, where their emotions and bodies mingled, she struggled to remember where she ended, and he began. It was as though they were one being. She'd never experienced anything like it in her entire life.

Gradually, the feelings subsided and they both pulled apart, still holding each other closely. His hands were in her hair, she noticed. His gloved thumb was stroking her cheek tenderly. She pulled her own hand back and rested it on his wrist before letting out a deep sigh.

"Gar," she said, when her breath finally returned to her. "I think the others may know."

"How come?"

"Just a sense I got today from Cy," Raven replied, not moving from their intimate positon. "I honestly don't know how much longer we can hide this."

"It's your call," replied Beast Boy, gently. "Rae, you know what I think. I don't care who knows, but I get that you aren't ready to tell anyone. They can think what they like; I won't say anything until you're ready to."

Raven felt her emotions shifting uncertainly in her. She looked at him, a genuine smile and warmth in her chest. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The empath's candles crackled and flickered in the darkness. The Tower was still in silence. In the centre of it, two Titans held each other as though they were both scared to let go again.


	27. Chapter 27 - Parties and Pals

**Author's note:** **Hello to all who are still with us on 27. You're a faithful lot, for which I'm very grateful! Prepare for more BBRae fluff and such. Also, some drama, because I love some drama. Advance trigger warning for some (it's minor but there) these plotlines are rated T for a reason and are not for children. I'll expand on some of the plot lines in my next author's note, but don't want to give any spoilers. As always, thanks for reading and read and review if you can spare 2 minutes.**

 **Replies** **:**

 **Spawry: Thank you so much – I did PM you also with the details of the comic.**

 **LightNS: I'm not sure if you read the whole story as your review came in for chappies 2/3 but I really hope you enjoyed it and thank you so much for your kind words. They made me tear up too! :')**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven – Parties and Pals**

Three months passed at the Tower. Autumn turned into winter, and cold breezes and snow flurries swept the city. The research was progressing slowly, with Cyborg and Robin growing more frustrated at their lack of leads. Beast Boy kept leaving for secret missions and coming back in the dead of night. Starfire and Raven were working hard on their plans, which were implemented into the weekly training routines. Raven's visions had ceased, and despite her meditation her recon was throwing up little success. Every night the changeling and the empath met in secret and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Despite this, things in Jump City were ever the same. The alarm blared many times and the five Titans fought bravely to keep the city safe, despite the dark night drawing in and the cold, frustrating days that had faced them all. Following their most recent battle with Plasmus, the friends returned to their home wearily.

"Ugh, I am always _hating_ the battles with Plasmus," came the Tameranean's unhappy voice, tinged with disgust. She looked at the red splattered stains all over her body and hair. "It is most revolting. I am needing the shower, followed by a second shower."

Raven stood next to her best friend, long violet locks covered in grime. She looked frustrated and repulsed in equal measure. "You're not wrong, Star. Literally gross. There is just no nice way of dealing with that guy."

"I think I got some in my mouth again," complained Beast Boy, shaking some slime off his arm. "Seriously, I vote for team hazmat suits next time."

"I second that," added Raven, nodding. Starfire bobbed emphatically. Cyborg was wiping himself down with a rag.

"I'd also be tempted to match the green bean's sentiments," he stated, as they all walked into ops. He threw the rag directly in the bin. "At least I wipe clean, y'all are stinkin'. Besides, I'm don't enjoy y'all getting into the T-Car in that state. She's gonna reek for weeks."

"For once I can't help but be tempted to go along with you all," groaned Robin, trudging in behind them. He seemed to be covered in more goo than the rest put together. "Just be glad you guys weren't the ones who issued the finishing blow."

Starfire giggled slightly at the sight of him covered in goo. "Perhaps we should all be getting cleaned up before dinner."

"What's on the menu?" asked Beast Boy, hopefully. "I'm _starving_."

"Aren't you always?" quipped Cyborg, slapping his best friend on the back, then realising his mistake. His hand was covered in slime again. He looked aghast as BB laughed childishly. "Oh man!"

Ignoring their antics, Robin smiled at the team. "Well, I've got a surprise for you all. We've all been working so hard lately on our plans and research I thought we deserved a little break, so I invited the Titans East guys over for a catch up and Titans bonding evening."

"Wondrous!" exclaimed Star, clutching her hands together and forgetting all about the disgusting red goo for a moment. "How long are our friends staying?"

"Just overnight," stated Robin, shrugging. "Jinx and Kid Flash were back in town so they're watching Steel City whilst the others swing by."

"Cool," stated Beast Boy, giving a thumbs-up. "Be good to see everyone again. Even the fish-dude."

"Aqualad," corrected Raven, giving the changeling a swift kick with her foot. She smiled at him briefly, before nodding at Robin in approval. "But he's right, it'll be good to see everyone."

"Yeah, be good," added Cy, but there was a slightly subdued tone to his earlier jovial voice. He turned and walked out of ops, calling back over his shoulder. "I'll go get cleaned up and see you all later on."

Raven narrowed her eyes slightly but chose to ignore the strange feelings she was picking up. She didn't like to empathically pry into her friend's emotions too much; it felt like an invasion of privacy. Sighing, she plucked at her hair.

"Azar, I'd better go too. It's going to take _years_ to get this out of my hair," she groaned, miserably. Starfire nodded in agreement.

"You are right, friend Raven," she conceded, her jade eyes turning their familiar glowing green. "I do declare that Plasmus is a _clorbag_!"

The two female Titans exited the room, muttering alien profanities under their breath as they vanished down the corridor.

"Yeah, they've got the right idea," nodded Beast Boy. He grabbed a cereal bar off the side, as his stomach growled then gave Robin a guilty smile. "Sorry, can't wait til dinner. Fast metabolism."

Robin smiled and shook his head as the changeling went to leave the room. He suddenly called out after him. "Hey, Beast Boy."

"Mmm?" responded the green man, his mouth full. "'Sup?"

"Take a break from your usual mission schedule," Robin stated, commandingly. His face softened. "You've been doing a good job, but I meant for tonight to be a night off for everyone. You included."

"Thanks, dude," said Beast Boy, nodding and giving a goofy grin before heading out of the room, cereal bar in hand. Robin looked at his ruined uniform and sighed. He walked towards the door, deep in thought.

"I wonder if they make customisable hazmat suits with a superhero mask feature?"

* * *

After several squirts of shampoo and a good long soak in the hot shower, Raven felt satisfied that she was clear from Plasmus' disgusting red slime. Sighing in relief, she towel-dried her hair and looked in her wardrobe. A night off meant she could probably wear something other than her uniform. It always felt strange to do that, to feel 'off duty'. She never felt that way in her mind no matter what she was wearing. Sighing, she rooted around in her drawers until she found something reasonable to put on.

A long-sleeved fitted dark top, grey skinny jeans and some black Chelsea boots with fringe trim that she often wore in place of her blue elfin uniform boots on rare days off. Throwing her towel into the laundry basket, she brushed her hair out and messed it between her hands.

There was a tap on her door. Raven looked over to it, still fiddling with her long violet locks.

"Yes?"

"Friend, it is I!"

"Come on in, Star. It's open."

The door whooshed to reveal the Tameranean princess. She had evidently had the same idea, dressed in a simple purple maxi dress with long sleeves. She had some simple slip on shoes with a heel, to make it feel casual. Her hair was also slightly damp, making it look a darker red.

"Friend, you are also in the casual clothes," stated Starfire, a touch of relief in her voice. "I could not bear a moment longer in a uniform after having been covered in the Plasmus goop."

"I couldn't agree more," conceded the empath, staring in her mirror and forcefully trying to get her hair to lie flat. "Have they arrived yet?"

"No, but Robin stated that they had let him know they would be here most imminently, so I wondered if you wanted to come and wait with me," gabbled the Tameranean, floating in the air. She paused and then smiled. "If you are ready of course."

Raven looked over at her friend wistfully, wishing she was more glamorous somehow. But it wasn't her style and she knew it. She nodded. "I am. Let's go."

The two young women walked downstairs, with Star still chattering on about her frustration at Plasmus. As much as she loved her best friend, Raven was grinding her teeth together in frustration by the time they reached ops. She was tired, her powers were spent, and she just wanted a little peace and quiet after their long day.

She moved to the kitchen to make some tea, and Star finally took the hint to be quiet. She sat herself down silently on a stool and watched Raven organising her drink. The door whooshed open and Cy walked into the room.

"Y'all look nice," he stated, smiling at the women. Starfire beamed back at him, brightly. He laughed. "What's the occasion?"

"Celebrating not being covered in the disgusting goo!" exclaimed Star, giving another dazzling smile. Raven looked at her friend and quirked an eyebrow. She cupped her mug in her hand and leant back on the counter.

"What she said."

"Yeah, that dude is gross," conceded the cybernetic man, moving to get himself a glass of juice. "I'm never pleased when I see his name on the screen."

The doors swooshed open again and in walked Beast Boy, dressed in jeans and a hooded sweater. He clearly shared the thoughts of the other two Titans in choosing comfort over style. "Yo. Are they here yet? I'm starving!"

"Not yet, man," stated Cy, grabbing a second glass for his friend. He poured some juice in and handed it to him. "Here you go, green bean."

Beast Boy took the drink and smiled at his friend before sitting at the counter next to Raven. Star looked at the drink and sudden excitement came over her face. She took off and started hunting through the cupboards.

"Ooh, I have some extra strong mustard! I shall partake immediately!"

"You look beautiful," whispered the changeling under his breath, as the other two were busy in the kitchen. Raven's eyes looked at him sidelong and she smiled, a faint blush on her face. He gave her his signature grin, then they cast their eyes back to their friends and fell silent.

Robin entered the room, wearing a t-shirt and jeans with trainers. His mask was still firmly in place. "Hey guys, the others have just arrived. I've ordered pizza, should be here soon."

No sooner had he spoken but the doors opened and in ran the two figures of Mas y Menos. They had grown slightly taller, their shocks of ginger hair still visible from their white uniforms.

"STARFIRE!" they exclaimed, one clinging to each of her legs, their heads nuzzling into her waist. She eyed them with a wary smile on her face, her arms raised up by her shoulders.

"Hello, boys!" she exclaimed, trying to sound jovial, before attempting to pry them off. Raven let out a little snort of laughter at the scene. Cy and BB exchanged glances before also chortling at her. Speedy and Aqualad walked in together, talking about something between themselves. Speedy was taller and more mature but otherwise remarkably similar to his younger self. Aqualad had grown taller, more muscular. His boyish good looks had matured to that of an attractive man. Their eyes fell on the others.

"Hey guys!" they said in unison, as they wandered into ops. They chatted to Robin as they entered the room fully. Cy looked past them eagerly, as Bumblebee walked in. She eyed the others and waved with both hands before giving a broad smile.

"Hey, honeys, I'm home!"

"Friend Bumblebee," shouted Star, wrenching Mas y Menos off her and wandering over to embrace the young woman in a deep hug. "You have been much missed! We have lots of the catching up to do!"

So, the evening went on, with all ten Titans talking to each other eagerly and in turn. There were whoops of excitement when the pizzas arrived, with everyone digging in hungrily. Starfire was regaling Mas y Menos, Bumblebee and Speedy about their disgusting encounter with Plasmus. Cy, Robin and Beast Boy were listening to her and chipping in with extra details that were causing the audience to gag, boo and jeer.

Raven sat quietly at the breakfast bar, cupping a freshly made tea and watching her friends with amusement. She tucked her leg up beneath her as Aqualad wandered over and sat down next to her.

"Hi, Raven," he stated, evenly. He gave her a smile. "Long time no see. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Garth," responded the empath, politely. She looked at him enquiringly. "You?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. Steel City's been fairly quiet these past few months," he stated, also turning to watch the other Titans. "Good to have our Bee back though."

"I'll bet," conceded Raven, nodding. She placed her mug on the side and rested her arm on her leg, lazily. "We miss her."

"Some more than most, so I hear," replied Garth, his handsome dark eyes glinting a little mischievously. He lowered his deep voice, conspiratorially. "She's never off her communicator these days."

Raven's eyes narrowed but she was curious. Cy still hadn't said too much about what had happened between the two of them. Time to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

"You know, her and Cy doing the whole long-distance thing," he stated, as if it was obvious. "How they decided to try and make it work after he brought her back. _Surely_ , he told you about it, right?"

Raven tried to cover for her friend, but she was mildly surprised. "Of course, I just didn't understand your meaning."

Aqualad raised his eyebrows and then looked back at the others, who were all tinkling with laughter at something Starfire had just said. He paused, then turned back to the Azarathian. A small smile was on his chiselled face. "So how about you, anyone in your life currently?"

Raven felt the familiar blush creeping on her cheeks and fought it back valiantly. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the changeling, who was sitting on the couch next to Cy, grinning goofily.

"Nope," she stated, quietly. She took a sip of her tea. "You?"

"Not right now," replied Aqualad, shaking his head. His long dark hair swung from side to side as he moved. He turned towards her with another small smile on his lips. "It's a remarkably small dating pool when you're a superhero."

"I'd never noticed," responded Raven sarcastically, but she smiled at his attempt at a joke. The empath was aware she felt discomfort; she was distinctly worried he may press her further, but she tried to stay calm. "I'm sure you'll meet someone eventually."

"Maybe," shrugged Garth, nonchalantly. His mouth curled into a more peculiar smile. "Just hasn't been anyone to hold my interest, yet."

"There will be," replied Raven, a strange expression on her own face. She was fighting not to look at Garfield. It was getting harder with every passing month that they were together. She was certain the team knew, but she was adamantly keeping their relationship a secret. "You just have to be patient. The right person will come along, I've no doubt."

Aqualad smiled and stood up from the stool. He leant towards her. His breath tickled her ear, making all of her hairs stand on end. "Shame you don't live closer to Steel City. I'm sure _you'd_ hold my interest, Raven."

Without another word he turned and walked back towards the group, leaving the empath stunned in his wake. Her eyes wide, she struggled to conceive what had just been implied to her. Garfield looked over at her, his expression happy. It changed to confusion upon seeing her astonished face, but she managed a small smile to reassure him. Pushing herself up from the stool, she joined the rest of the group, trying to push away the comment away from her mind.

* * *

The party was still ongoing, and the Titans had now broken out different games to play; some were designed for hilarity, some were downright inappropriate. Raven had experienced her fill of people for one day, and so she slipped out of the back leaving the other nine Titans to enjoy themselves. She called by her room, grabbing out her black winters coat with the faux fur-lined hood. She slipped it on and made her way to the roof, wanting to get some air and time away.

She stood at the top of the Tower, looking out at the stars. Her safe place. Just like in Azarath. Just like now. Her red chakra glinted in the moonlight and she felt the chilly air entering her lungs. It revitalised her almost instantly and she closed her eyes. As her breath left her body, she saw the white steam expelling from her nose and mouth. Winter had truly arrived. She took a few moments to process her thoughts from the evening. Whilst it had generally been nice to take a night off from their extreme regime, she couldn't help but feel strange about the conversation that she had experienced with Aqualad in ops. His comment had caught her completely off-guard.

There was no way that Raven would ever have imagined that someone like _that_ would be interested in her. Or was he just teasing her? Why did it even matter all that much? She clapped her hands together, blowing some warm air from her mouth onto them to keep her finger joints from stiffening up. She suddenly heard some footsteps coming up the stairs and she froze in place. Everyone had seemed so engrossed in the fun, surely no one saw her slip away?

Through the door emerged the very person she dreaded it would be; Aqualad. She remained calm, her hands returning to her sides as she looked at him quizzically. Her monotone voice rang out in the darkness. "Need some air?"

"Yeah, it was getting _way_ too stuffy in there," laughed Garth, walking towards her and turning to look up towards the skies. He smiled, his tanned skin illuminated by the starlight. "Plus, I like to look at the stars; they're much clearer here than in the East."

"Oh really," remarked the empath, her voice quiet and low. His presence was making her uncomfortable, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Her senses weren't picking up anything overtly wrong. She swallowed. "We are lucky to have our Tower located so favourably."

Aqualad laughed at her again, his dark eyes turning towards hers. "Why do you always speak like that? So formally?"

"I don't know," shrugged Raven, that strange feeling creeping in her stomach as he looked at her. She averted her eyes away from him. "It's just how I speak, don't read into it too much."

"I thought it was because I was making you uncomfortable," teased the young man, running his hand through his dark hair. He gave her a pointed look, eyebrow raised. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

"A little," conceded Raven, desperately wanting to take several paces away from him. She hoped her honesty might make him back off a little, go back inside. He stared at her evenly, unmoving. He looked amused somehow. She wasn't quite sure how to respond, so she just stood there.

"Why would that be?" he pressed, turning to face her fully. "Is it because of what I said earlier?"

Raven hesitated, unsure whether to be truthful. She chose her words carefully. "It was a strange comment, Garth. I'm not sure what you meant by it, exactly."

"I thought it was quite obvious," smiled Aqualad, his eyes locking onto hers and staring at her in a way that made her feel nauseated. "I find you fascinating."

"I'm not," responded the Azarathian, her lilac eyes hardening under his gaze. This was getting out of control. She could feel the situation slipping away from her. She folded her arms across herself. "I'm just the same old Raven. Moody and sarcastic."

Garth's laughter tinkled again, and he took a pace towards her. Everything within her was urging her to run away, but it was as though she was frozen to the spot. Her powers were drained from the earlier battle with Plasmus. She was exhausted. He spoke, his voice deep and enticing. "Well I don't believe that. I'd like to find out for myself. Maybe sometime we could hangout, just the two of us."

Raven's stomach lurched. This was what she was worried about. She stood there staring at him, her eyes wide and panicked. This whole situation was completely left field and she wasn't prepared for it. She took a little breath and her voice came out quiet and timid, not sounding like Raven at all. "I don't think that is a good idea."

Garth could see the fear in her eyes and he raised his eyebrow. "What's the big deal? It's not like you're with anyone."

Raven felt herself flinching at his words. She knew she was going to have to be more honest than she'd bargained for. She licked her dry lips anxiously. "Actually, I am. I wasn't truthful with you before. It's because the others don't know, and I don't want them to know."

"Oh really?" smirked Garth, taking another slow pace towards her. It felt predatory, arrogant. All things that would normally make Raven explode with anger. But for some reason she felt weak, afraid, unable to deal with what was happening. "Who is this mystery man then?"

"I...I can't tell you," she stated, her eyes faltering to the floor. She looked back up a little more defiantly. "I don't _want_ to tell you."

"Is that so?" asked Aqualad, his hand reaching out and brushing her cheek. He tucked her hair behind her ear. Raven's skin crawled at his touch. "Or is it because he doesn't exist?"

"Oh, he exists," came a voice from behind Aqualad, sounding firm and gravelly. Raven looked around the man to see Beast Boy standing behind him. His eyes were filled with fury.

"Garfield, wait," shouted Raven, her senses suddenly returning to her. The changeling's eyes landed on her and he stood down on her request. Her eyes softened. "It's okay, stay calm."

"Garfield?" questioned Aqualad, his eyes widening. He looked between the two then burst out laughing. "Oh, I get it! You're pretending to be her mystery man to stick up for your little friend."

Raven glared daggers at Garth. As her senses returned, so did her usual Raven spirit. "He's not pretending. He _is_ the mystery man."

She pushed past Aqualad roughly and rushed into Beast Boy's arms. He wrapped them around her protectively; suddenly she felt safe again. The truth came tumbling out without her stopping to even think about it. "Beast Boy and I have been seeing each other for the past few months, and it's _definitely_ none of your business."

The young man's eyes were practically on stalks at the sight of the empath in the arms of the green shapeshifter. There was still a smirk on his face, but it wiped away when he saw their serious expressions. "You're not kidding?"

"Definitely not kidding, definitely not your business," growled Gar, his emerald eyes flicking between human and animal. Raven could sense that the Beast wasn't far away, and she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. He calmed at her touch. "You heard the lady. I think you'd better walk away."

Aqualad straightened to his full height and sauntered past the two without another word, disappearing down the stairs. Raven could sense his hurt pride and it gave her a strange pang of satisfaction. Her lilac eyes locked onto his familiar green ones and she gave a look of concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," smiled Gar, his eyes returning to normal. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," conceded Raven, stepping away from him and turning back to look at the stars. He followed suit, looking up at the sky. They stood in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "I guess that was it then."

"That was what?" asked the changeling, his eyes glancing sidelong at her.

"Our secret is most definitely out," smiled Raven, feeling a strange sense of relief washing over her. "We both know Garth won't keep his mouth shut."

Garfield grinned at the realisation, then turned to look back up at the sky. His breath was puffing out around him in white wisps. "Well, I'm guessing he won't say _how_ he found out."

"No," laughed Raven, still feeling strangely smug at Aqualad's reaction to their relationship. "I don't think he took my rejection too well. He's used to ladies falling all over him."

"As I recall Rae, you were once one of those ladies," teased Beast Boy, making a swooning face. "You and Star were all goo-goo for the fish-dude."

"Were being the operative word. That was a _long_ time ago," smiled Raven, echoing her previous sentiments to Cyborg all those months ago. She wrinkled her nose and gave a teasing look. "Besides, he smells like fish."

"No kidding!" exclaimed the green changeling, his eyes flashing mischievously. "You don't need my sense of smell to know that."

Raven turned back to the dark sky still smiling and then let out a deep sigh, the air blowing around her face. She rubbed her hands together again to warm them. "I still find it weird to think he'd even be interested in me."

Garfield turned to look at her incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious, Gar."

"Raven, do you really find it _that_ strange to think someone would be attracted to you?" he reiterated, turning her round gently by the shoulder to face him. Raven nodded, her eyes falling to the floor. She shrugged.

"Yes. I mean, I've always grown up thinking that I was a freak. The portal for Trigon, the daughter of a demon. Not allowed to feel, not allowed to lose control. I've never made a lot of myself like Starfire, I'm not exuberant like Bumblebee. I'm just the quiet, strange and creepy girl that doesn't quite fit in anywhere."

Raven crossed her arms over her body as she spoke, running her pale fingers up and down herself to try and keep warm. She lifted her eyes up to see the confused look that was playing on his face. She raised her eyebrow and smiled. "I guess I just feel like I got lucky to find someone as special as you."

Garfield snorted, his arms wrapping around her as she rested her head on him. She snuggled into his broad chest, her lilac hair hanging down to his stomach. Following the past three months of being together, it felt completely natural and soothing to her. As he spoke she could hear his voice booming from his torso and she closed her eyes.

"Raven, I wish you could see yourself as others see you. Just for one moment. You are beautiful, smart and kind. You're funny, you're different. Those things you say about yourself come from inside you and you alone. None of us think of you that way. Especially me. It's not like I was 'saddled' with you; I feel so lucky every day that you _chose_ to be with me and not someone else."

She pulled back to look into his eyes, the warmth from his chest still spreading up her face. He gave her a genuine, toothy smile, as only he could. "If you put yourself out there for even a second, they'd be lining up. Honestly. You're a catch, Rae."

She smiled at him, then quirked her eyebrow with a sarcastic look on her face.

"Woman or a fish, Gar?" she asked mockingly, harking back to their earlier joke some months ago.

"Very funny," he replied, kissing her on the forehead gently. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth briefly. As they broke apart she smiled.

"Thank you," she stated, quietly. He looked at her in surprise.

"For what?"

"For just being you," she said, sweetly. Her hand reached up and grazed his jaw. "I guess we had better go and face the music. He'll have told them all by now."

Garfield sighed, and looked towards the door to the Tower then back to the young woman in his arms. He nodded, reluctantly. "You're probably right, as usual."

"Oh, that reminds me, there was something," started Raven, suddenly. Garfield looked at her inquisitively, waiting for her to continue. She gave a sly smile. "Fish-dude was good for _one_ thing. Information."

Beast Boy raised his eyebrow at her comments, curiosity getting the better of him. "Information? Spill it!"

"Cy and Bee? In a long-distance relationship," stated the Azarathian, haughtily. Garfield's jaw hung open as she nodded assuredly. A smug smile was on her lips. "Oh yeah. I called it. I knew something was still going on between those two."

"Damn it, Rae!" exclaimed the changeling. His brow furrowed, and he pouted. "How much do I owe you again?"

"I believe it was fifteen, but you can give me twenty because you love me," she teased, poking him playfully in the chest with her pale finger. She gave a genuine smile. "I am really happy for them though. That explains why Cy has been so cheerful recently."

"All makes sense, duh!" replied Beast Boy, smacking himself on the forehead. He smiled, his fang poking out. "I'm pleased for the metal man. It's about time he got some happiness. He must be stoked that she's here tonight."

Raven's eyes looked out over the bay, thoughtfully. "Well. It's bittersweet, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

She turned back to him, her eyes glinting with sadness. It was times like this she hated her empathic abilities. "Tomorrow he'll have to say goodbye all over again."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, the changeling and the empath walked into ops, their faces slightly flushed from the change in temperature. Garfield gave Raven a reassuring look as they walked into the room. She could feel her stomach churning again; the earlier pizza suggesting it wanted to make another appearance. She wrung her hands together anxiously beneath her coat sleeves as the door shut behind her.

Every face in the room fell still and turned to look at the two. There was a strange silence across the teams as everyone waited for someone to speak. Minutes passed, but it felt like an eternity. Eventually, Robin slowly stood up and tried to give a small smile.

"Hey guys."

"Hey, Robin," replied Beast Boy, awkwardly. He looked around the boy wonder at the others. "Hey...everyone else?"

There were murmurs around the room. Raven's eyes looked at Starfire, a strange connection passing between them. She reached out and could feel Star's anticipation, her anxiety. She knew that Aqualad had told them. Her lilac orbs gazed at her best friend's jade ones imploringly. Starfire took pity on her and stood to her feet, holding Robin's arm and hand with a smile on her face.

"You have been outside, friends?" she tried, gently. "It is a lovely evening."

"It is," replied Raven, her eyes still trained on her friend. She was scared to look anywhere else. She could feel her soul-self trying to get out, to destroy something in fear and she held on as tightly as she could. Starfire smiled and looked towards Robin, who looked back at her gingerly. The tension was palpable.

"So, um...you two, huh?" he managed, eventually. A gentle prompt without too much detail. Raven felt relief momentarily, replaced immediately by further anxiety. She moved so she was almost standing behind the changeling. Garfield nodded, his eyes cold and steely.

"Yeah, us two," he stated, definitely. Robin's masked eyes shifted to look at the empath. Her own lilac ones met his and she nodded, shyly. She could feel the colour on her cheeks and tried to remind herself firmly about her no-blushing rule.

"Cool," replied Robin, trying to keep things light. He sighed and then smiled, sarcastically. " _Finally_. We don't all have to pretend we don't know anymore."

Raven and Garfield exchanged a glance. Her eyes said _'I told you so. Again.'_ He smirked at her, his own expression suggesting _'Smart ass.'_

"I'll second that!" exclaimed Cy raising his hand from his seated positon next to Bee, who also nodded in agreement.

"Finally, _loverboy_! I was getting sick of teasing you. Good for you guys."

"I am also glad to not be keeping the secrets any longer," smiled Starfire, floating a little off the ground. "Friend Raven, I so enjoy seeing you and friend Beast Boy being so happy."

The no-blushing rule had gone out of the window. Raven could feel the fire in her face, and her eyes went cool. "Okay, we get it. You all know. Can we drop it now? Please?"

Garfield gave a little laugh at her reaction and put his arm around her reassuringly. His own face was distinctly rosy. "What she said."

"Aw, congrats guys," said Speedy, a little awkwardly. The glare coming from the empath was scaring him slightly. "So...who wants to play some Cards Against Humanity?"

"Anything," said Raven, glowing with embarrassment and frustration. She pushed Gar off her gently and removed her coat. Walking towards Speedy she snatched the packet out of his hands. "Anything to change the subject. I'll play. I'll even _deal_."

Everyone looked at her in surprise then burst out laughing. Just like that the tension was gone, and everyone reverted to the earlier reverie of the evening. Aqualad approached Garfield as the others were talking excitedly and setting up the game. He stood side by side with him, eyes firmly on the other eight Titans.

"Listen man, about the roof. I'm sorry. I honestly didn't know."

"We're cool, man," replied Beast Boy, his chin raising slightly. His eyes were still filled with the primal spark. He glanced sidelong at Garth, his voice low. "But if you ever put a hand on her like that again, you'll lose it."

"Noted," replied Aqualad, clapping the changeling on the shoulder. They exchanged an understanding smile and went to join the others.

* * *

The beach was peaceful except for the two figures walking down it quietly in the darkness. They stopped by the rocks and looked out across to the city.

"Nice night," smiled Bee, her eyes looking up towards the sky. "Cold though."

"No kiddin'," replied Cy, his face slightly obscured by the darkness. His red eye was shining in the half-light. "It's good to be here with you. It feels like a long time since we were together."

"It's been three months," laughed Bee, turning to face him. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "You miss me, sparky?"

"Oh, a little," grinned the metal man, wrapping his arms around her and holding her closely. "Or maybe a lot. Rae gave me your letter you left us. It was sweet, but hard to read."

She didn't offer any response. They stayed that way for a few moments, listening to the waves lapping on the beach. Eventually, Bee stirred in Cyborgs arms, pulling away to look at him. He noted a discomfort in her and a concern in her eyes. "Do you ever regret making this decision, Cy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this long-distance thing. It's tougher than I first thought," admitted Bee, stepping away from him. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked in his eyes, sadly. "I think we both know that it can't go on forever."

Cy stood looking at her, stunned. The mood had altered undetectably. "Can't it?"

"No," responded Bee, a certain resolution in her voice. She tried a small smile. "We both know that eventually we will have to either transfer teams or break up."

Cyborg considered her words slowly, taking a deep breath. He could feel the sadness in his chest, knocking the air out of him. He knew this conversation was coming, of course. But it didn't make it any easier. "So, what you're sayin' is that you know neither of us would want to transfer?"

"That's what I'm saying," stated Bee, tears in her eyes. She paused. "It's true, isn't it?"

Cy paused too, his breath catching in the cold night air. "Yeah, it's true."

Bee's tear-filled eyes began to overflow. "Which only leaves option B."

"Why does it have to be so black and white?" asked the metal man, his own human eye brimming with tears. "Why can't we just be like we have been these past few months?"

Bee wiped her tears away with her hand. She walked closer to the man and reached out to touch his face. "Cy, I like you a lot. But the long-distance thing isn't what I want. When we talked in the T-Ship, we said we'd try it. I wanted to see if I felt differently. But I don't. I still want a relationship where I can be with the person. Spend time together. Grow together. Unless one of us changes, that _isn't_ going to happen. The longer this drags on the harder it's going to be. I don't want to, but I think we need to end it now before we get in too deep."

Cyborg was letting his emotion overflow. He'd known this was coming, hence his nervousness about seeing the young woman. He reached over and tilted her chin up towards his face. "You're right. As much as I don't want you to be, you are."

Bee reached up, kissing him on the mouth. He reciprocated as they entwined their bodies together one last time. He could smell her particular perfume wafting up towards him, her dark hair between his robotic fingers. As they broke apart it was as though time stood still. They looked at each other with intent, both knowing this was the end.

"Will you be okay?" managed the young woman, eventually. She was overcome with emotion; the situation felt so sad and traumatic somehow. Despite them being in the line of danger every day, this was much more wrenching, more painful. She ran her hands gently down his metal arms.

He nodded, numbly. He wasn't wholly sure of the answer in truth, but he knew that he wanted to reassure her. "Will you?"

"No," conceded Bee, clutching her hand to her heart, slowly. "But I'll try."

"Yeah, me too," smiled Cy, his own heart full of sadness. They turned and started walking back towards the Tower. He turned towards her. "We can still be friends, right?"

"Always," smiled Bee, linking her arm with his. "That's never going to change, sparky. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

They continued in silence for a few moments. Cy sighed deeply but had a wry smile on his face. "Guess that makes me the only singleton in the house after B and Rae's admission tonight."

Bee let out a laugh, despite the awful nature of the situation. "I'm happy for them. They make a super cute couple. It's been a long time coming."

"It has," conceded the cybernetic man, a sad tone to his voice. He tried to smile. "I'm happy for them too really, you know that Karen."

Bee flinched a little in surprise at the use of her full name. She smiled back and reciprocated the gesture. "I know, Vic. This is all terrible timing, but BB is your best friend and Raven is like your sister."

"This ain't gonna affect how I feel about them," chuckled Cy, giving Bee a sidelong glance. "I can promise you that."

"Good to know," replied Bumblebee, unlinking their arms and touching his shoulder to stop him in his tracks. "Listen, Cy. You will find someone. Someone who will treat you right and be there for you. You know that, don't you?"

"Maybe. I don't think I can process that right now, Bee," he stated, firmly. Her eyes filled with sadness again. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know you're tryin' to reassure me but don't. We'll take as long as we take to get over this. Then we'll move on and if someone comes along then they do."

"Fair enough," shrugged Bee, in a defeated manner. Her eyes fell to the floor. "Let's just hope that the two of us have better luck in the future."

"That's kinda a given," smiled the cybernetic man, his eyes flashing. "Don't be a stranger, will you?"

"I think that's kinda a given too," grinned the young woman, her hands releasing the young man as she turned towards the Tower and started walking again. "The others would never forgive me if I left for good."

Cy smiled and walked after her; his heart felt very heavy and his feet dragged along the cold ground. Somehow, he knew it was going to be a bad day tomorrow.


	28. Chapter 28 - Bats and Monsters

**Author's note:** **Sorry for the sadness in the last chapter, CyBee fans. And anyone who was triggered by Aqualad's naughty behaviour. So here we come to Chapter 28; this will tie up some loose plot ends for you all and also progress the BBRae relationship. I'm nervous about this chapter's content (feedback appreciated), and I wanted to say PLEASE do not read if you are underage. There are adult themes in this, as mentioned several times. It is not a lemon to be clear, but the themes are there. You have been warned. Thank you to the kind and lovely reviewers, I'm so glad you're enjoying so far.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any other characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight – Bats and Monsters**

Titans East left the next morning; saying their goodbyes and waving as they got into their ship and took to the sky. Cyborg looked melancholy, and Raven could feel the sadness pouring from his chest. She narrowed her eyes; this was definitely more significant than she was expecting, but she couldn't put her finger on why. As they headed back inside the Tower she grabbed Beast Boy by the arm and pulled him close.

"Please keep an eye on Cy," she muttered, so the others wouldn't hear. With his perceptive hearing he picked up every word. "Something's changed."

The shapeshifter nodded as they continued to walk back into the Tower. He looked at the metal man and could feel something in his gut telling him that Raven was right. Sighing at the poor timing of it all, he hopped after his friend. He caught up to him and slapped his hand on Cy's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Yo, C-man," he said, jovially. His eyes were filled with concern as he lowered his voice. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, B," replied Cyborg quietly, although he seemed far from it. His shoulders drooped. "I'm good."

"Want to go get some pizza and talk about it?" asked Garfield, kindly. His friend turned to meet his eyes and he smiled. "My treat?"

"Yeah, okay," smiled Cy, his face lighting up. "If we're allowed some time. Not sure what birdy boy has planned for us today."

"Leave it with me, dude," grinned the changeling, shifting to a cheetah and dashing off after their leader. Cyborg watched him leave, still smiling at his friend's efforts when Raven caught pace with him.

"Hello," she said, quietly. They met each other's eyes for a moment and an understanding passed between them. Cyborg smirked a little, a dry expression on his face.

"I know, I know," he conceded, causing the lilac haired woman to eye him quizzically. "Empath, right?"

Beneath her hood, Raven flushed a little. She hoped she wasn't invading his privacy in her concern. "Yes. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened but I'm sorry you're so sad."

"Don't be," smiled Cy, putting his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "It's not your fault. Not yours or B's."

"Cy, about me and Gar," began the empath, feeling guilt seeping all over her. She was twisting her fingers beneath her cloak. "Nothing will be different around the Tower, I promise; we're not like Star and Robin."

"Stop," said Cy, standing still and causing Raven to follow suit. She turned to look at him, her lilac eyes meeting his human and cybernetic one. He had a serious expression on his face. "Look, I'm happy for you and BB. You know that, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"No buts, be quiet," stated the cybernetic man authoritatively, putting his hand up to hush the empath. She obliged and closed her mouth. He continued slowly. "You and B are family to me. Seein' the two of you grow together, learn to love each other, be together...well, it's right and I'm happy for y'all. What happened to me yesterday has _nothing_ to do with that. I don't want you two to feel awkward because of me. I'd feel really bad if I thought that was what's happenin' here."

"Cy, it's not like that," responded the Azarathian, her hands escaping her cloak and pulling her hood down. "We're just really worried about you; we weren't sure how everyone would take it. But you most of all. We just wanted you to know that nothing is going to change."

"Everythin' has changed," laughed Cy, ruffling her hair as he always did. "But it's okay, Rave. Change is good sometimes. I want what's best for both of you. I know I give y'all a hard time and everythin', but it's all for show. Seein' you two together is right somehow. Listen, you need your time together. But our relationships _won't_ change. I can promise you that."

"As long as you know," smiled Raven, nodding. "You're still my big brother. You're still Gar's best friend. Believe me, I _definitely_ haven't replaced you on that score."

"Oh girl," laughed Cy, placing his hand on her shoulder. His voice filled with sarcasm. "You couldn't if you wanted to. You'd never survive all the video games and fast food."

Raven grimaced, but there was a genuine smile that followed. "Touché. Keep talking like that and you might put me off this whole idea all together."

Cyborg laughed, more genuinely than he had in a long time. He wrapped his arm back round her and steered her towards the Tower as they began walking again.

"Raven. Ain't nothin' I could say to change your mind. You're in love with him, I can tell."

"Is that so?" questioned Raven, glancing at him sidelong and pulling her hood back up for safety. But this time it felt okay. Cyborg smiled at her.

"It's so, little lady. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Robin allowed the boys their outing, and by the time they returned Cyborg seemed back to his normal self again. They were all sitting together that evening having an unscheduled meeting that Robin had called. Their leader was nowhere to be seen, having buzzed them all to come to ops. Everyone sat there waiting, wondering what was going on.

"Star, what did Rob say this is all about?" asked Beast Boy, plonking himself down on the couch next to Raven. Starfire floated a few feet in the air, shaking her head solemnly.

"Sorry friend, he did not say," she conceded, her hands clasping behind her back. "Cyborg, are you perhaps aware of this meeting's reasoning?"

"Not a clue, girl," stated Cy, shrugging his shoulders and sitting down next to Beast Boy, slowly. "I'm as in the dark as the rest of you. Raven?"

"No idea," shrugged the empath, closing her book and placing it down on the side. "I would guess it's something to do with SSOSV or the mission?"

"Good guess," came a voice behind them that made everyone jump in unison. Garfield's ears twitched. Every single time. He smiled.

"Hey, Batman," he stated, even though they couldn't see where the voice had come from. Beast Boy knew it was him; the imperceptible sneaking, the faintest scent in the air that was indiscernible unless you were looking for it. From the shadows the Dark Knight emerged, a smirk on his face.

"Hello, Titans," he stated, coolly. His deep tones seemed to fill ops and echo around in a way that none other did. He walked slowly to the front of the room to join their congregation.

"What brings you to the Tower, Batman?" asked Cyborg, politely. All four sets of eyes were looking at him intently. Another voice came from behind them, this time accompanied by footsteps and a swoosh of a cape.

"I invited him," said Robin, firmly as he paced over to stand by Batman's side. "We have some things to discuss."

"We do?" questioned Starfire, her eyes full of confusion. "What things are these?"

"Leads, Kori," came the deep tones of Bruce Wayne. "I have some that you may be interested in, as young Raven surmised."

Raven met the man's masked eyes and could sense his approval. She nodded and lowered her hood slowly. "Leads for SSOSV."

"That's right," said Batman, pulling up a chair and sitting down opposite the team. "I had full details from your meeting the other day and from Raven's vision. It seems that the SSOSV is not as much of a mystery as we first thought."

"You know what it stands for," stated Cyborg, his eyes narrowing. "Don't you?"

"Yes, Victor. I do," smiled Bruce, his hand coming to rest by his chin just as Robin's did on a regular basis. There was no mistaking where the boy wonder had picked up that particular mannerism. "It stands for the Secret Society of Super Villains."

"Seriously?" questioned Beast Boy, incredulous. "I mean, pick a longer name why don't you."

Batman shook his head, ignoring the changeling's comment. His face was solemn and serious as always. "These guys are no joke, Garfield. They are mean, and they are powerful. They have an agenda, as Raven so eloquently put it, that involves taking over the world. This is bigger than Jump City, than Gotham City, than Steel City. This organisation spans wider than any of us can possibly comprehend right now."

"So those people in my vision," began Raven, her voice waving slightly. Her eyes were shining with concern. "They're members of this organisation?"

"We think so," nodded Robin, pulling out the familiar clicker and bringing up the screen. "There are a couple of them that we have been able to name from your clues and our recon missions."

"Recon missions?" stated Cyborg, confused. "What recon missions?"

"The ones that I've been doing for Robin and Batman," stated Beast Boy, causing the others to turn and look at him. He shrugged. "I guess it's no biggie for you guys to know now."

"No, it's okay Beast Boy," reassured Robin, smiling at the changeling. "He's been collecting data on one of these suspects for us for the past three months. We now think that we have pinned them down as being involved in this somehow."

He clicked his button and a picture came up onto the screen that was unfamiliar to some of the Titans.

"Who is this strange looking person?" asked Starfire, hesitantly. "She is not someone we have seen before."

"No, Star," agreed Robin, nodding. "She's not. This person's name is Cheetah."

"Cheetah?" questioned Raven, turning her head to one side. Her mind flashed the vision for a moment, making the face instantly recognisable. She realised her own riddle. "A cheater. That's right."

"Exactly," stated Batman, nodding at the Azarathian's sudden understanding. "Your riddle was simple to work out if you have the right key."

"What key specifically are you referring to?" asked Raven, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. Batman gave a strange smile.

"The key is information. Wonder Woman has crossed claws with this cat on more than one occasion. She's smart, she's fast and she has similar instincts to our Garfield here."

Batman paused to gesture to Beast Boy, who gave a goofy grin. Bruce nodded and then continued. "Which is what made him the perfect person to get recon on her. He could work out how she thought, how she moved, how she hunted. And his research has proven to be the biggest key of all. Robin?"

Robin nodded and clicked again, lots of small pictures appearing on the screen showing Cheetah in various places and poses. Batman gestured to them and continued his speech.

"Beast Boy's recon shows that Cheetah has recently been chemically enhanced, making her a lot more powerful than she has ever been before. It has given her extra skills including dominion over felines, and God alone knows what else."

"Super," responded Raven, sarcastically. She folded her arms across herself. "When did Wonder Woman last see her?"

"She has coveted Diana's lasso for many years now," explained the Dark Knight, his eyes turning towards Raven. "She attempted trickery to get it from her but was unsuccessful. Since then she had disappeared off the grid, but she was thereafter known to the JLA. Finding out she's joined the Secret Society was a surprise, although not a huge leap. If she was going to be chemically enhanced, then there is only one person likely to be involved. Another clue we managed to unpick."

Raven tilted her head and looked at the others. Cy and Star looked baffled, but Garfield looked entirely calm. He had been more involved that the empath had even realised.

"Tomorrow," began Bruce, slowly. "Raven, you said that one of the members was tomorrow. A genius."

Raven nodded. It wasn't a big leap to make. "So, this person is responsible for chemically enhancing Cheetah?"

"We can't say for sure, but they are definitely involved with her in some way. Look at this picture Beast Boy took a couple of weeks ago."

One of the snapshots enlarged on the screen at one press of Robin's clicker. Raven squinted trying to get her eyes to adjust to the resolution. Behind Cheetah stood a man with a moustache in some kind of lab coat. He was on the periphery, but he was clearly there and strangely familiar to her.

"Who is that?" she asked, pointing to the man. Batman gave another small smile.

"That is Dr Morrow. Thomas Oscar Morrow. T O Morrow."

Raven's eyes widened at the realisation. The vision slipped back to her an instant, his face staring at her coldly. "Tomorrow. That's right, he was there."

Batman nodded and turned towards the team. "He is also most likely responsible for the DNA collection that I mentioned to you some months ago. I'm guessing he sent Phobia, Firefly and Shrapnel after you all to get samples. Plus, then they could kill two birds with one stone; get the samples and destroy the Titans."

He paused and smiled towards the Azarathian, then widely to the rest of the team. "Fortunately, they underestimated you. All of you. So now here we are."

"This is bigger than us, man," reasoned Cyborg, looking at all of the data that Robin had uploaded onto the system. "This is bigger than the Titans can handle alone."

"Then it's a good job you're not," replied the Dark Knight, evenly. "We're with you. All of us. Me, Diana, Superman. The whole JLA."

"Seriously?" asked Cy, incredulous. "We're working _with_ you guys on this?"

"Like it or not, you're all involved. Raven had the vision; her contact with Phobia must have created some psychic connection to someone in the group. What she saw may not have been the true future, but it is certainly the future that they are gunning for."

They all sat in a stunned silence for a while, until Robin spoke. "Nothing has changed, guys. We stick to our plan, keep on getting recon and keep on working to be stronger and better."

"Robin is right," agreed Batman, quietly. "The JLA will work alongside you, anything you need you come to me."

"We are not as powerful as your JLA allies," began Starfire, concern in her voice. "But alongside your team perhaps we can defeat them all and protect not only our city but the rest of Earth."

"Right," agreed Beast Boy, nodding vehemently. "We're not going to take this lying down. I saw what they were up to and it was no good. Whether we like it or not, this is how it is now."

"Agreed," confirmed the empath, her eyes glowing with defiance. "We've had the odds stacked against us before. But we didn't have help back then. Now we do."

"Hell yeah," agreed Cy, smiling at the others. "What they said. We'll do this Titan's style."

Robin smiled at the enthusiasm of his team. Batman eyed their sentiments coolly, but there was a satisfaction in his eyes. "Good. Robin and I will keep in touch but if anything changes, you know how to reach me."

He started to pace towards the door. He paused as it whooshed open. "Titans. You have mastered something which in all my years I still struggle with; true teamwork and trust. Don't lose that. It's the one strength you have that no one else will."

With a final smile he vanished down the corridor and out of the Tower in an instant. Everyone turned back towards Robin, the enormity of what they had just been told settling in. He looked at them grimly. "A long road lies ahead of us. But we have some answers now. We keep on with our plans, like I said. There are still lots of unanswered questions, but we'll work it out. We just need time and to stick together, like Bruce said."

"Yes," smiled Raven, standing up and walking towards their leader. She placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "We're with you, Robin."

"All of us," smiled Beast Boy, leaping down and grabbing Raven's shoulder. Star was at Robin's side in an instant, her hand gripping his other shoulder firmly.

"Now and always," she grinned, causing Robin to redden slightly. Cy completed the loop, one hand on Star's shoulder and one on Beast Boy's.

"Booyah," he said quietly, looking towards Robin and nodding. Robin reached up, placing his hands across Raven and Starfire and gave their shoulders a squeeze.

"Titans, GO!"

* * *

That evening the changeling and the empath lay in each other's arms, as they had both become accustomed to. The moon was high in the sky, the stars keeping her company. It was a cold night, and they huddled together under Raven's thick duvet trying to keep warm.

"I don't know why we always sleep in your room, Rae," complained Beast Boy, his teeth chattering. "Your room has always been colder."

"And cleaner," responded the Azarathian, icily. She smirked at the young man, over her shoulder. "Besides, don't pretend that you hate snuggling so close to me."

"It's only for warmth," teased Garfield, wrinkling his nose at her. "Don't think that I am enjoying even one second of it."

"Gar, you are transparent," she replied, her face deadpan. "And I am an empath. Give it up. Besides, your lips pull up at the sides when you're lying."

"No, they don't!" exclaimed Beast Boy, his lips pulling up at the sides. She grinned, victoriously and elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! Okay, maybe they do."

"When will you learn that I'm always right?" smiled Raven, settling herself back down and allowing him to nuzzle into her neck, as he often did.

"Not true," countered Garfield, defiantly. "Because _you_ suggested sleeping in this icebox and promised me it wouldn't be too cold."

"Hush," laughed Raven, despite herself. They both fell silent for a while before she spoke again. "How was Cy today?"

"I think he's okay," replied the changeling, pulling her closer. "He seemed to be resigned to their decision."

"Decision?" asked Raven, still in the dark about the whole situation. "Did something happen with him and Bee?"

"They've decided to call off the long-distance thing and just be friends for now," stated the young man, quietly. Raven turned around to face him, and he looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Really? Is that what happened?" asked the empath, her lilac eyes glinting with sorrow. Garfield held her small pale hands in his and nodded dourly. Tears brimmed to the surface. "Now I know why he was so sad."

"Yeah, it kind of sucks," conceded Garfield, rubbing his finger across her thumb. "But they seemed to both agree it was for the best. He said that they wanted different things."

"I see," murmured the young woman, her lavender hair spilling out behind her across the pillow. She moved closer to the green man, starting to feel colder now they weren't pressed together. Their legs entwined beneath the sheets and her face moved closer to his. "I'm glad he's being so mature about it, but the sadness I sensed from him was really powerful. It's hit him hard."

"Well, it's like you said yesterday," shrugged the changeling, still rubbing her hands. "He had to say goodbye all over again."

"Ugh, sometimes being right is the worst," complained the empath, closing her eyes. She felt Garfield chuckling next to her and opened them again to give him a little glare. Her expression softened. "He's lucky to have someone like you to talk to."

"Hey, what are best friends for? We don't just duke it out on videogames all the time, you know," joked the changeling, his hand reaching up to brush some hair back from her face. "We all have secret sides as you well know, Rae."

"Speaking of which," began Raven, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That's what all those secret missions were about. Information on Cheetah."

Beast Boy nodded, raising his eyebrow. "You're not mad with me, are you?"

"Of course not," smiled Raven, reaching her own hand out and brushing down his cheek and across his jawline. "Honestly, I would have been more worried about you if I knew how close to danger you really were."

"I know," nodded Garfield, his hands absently running down her bare arms. "That's why Robin wouldn't let me say anything to you about where I was going."

"But...but that was before we told him!"

"Raven, he's known for months," smiled Beast Boy, gently. "Detective, remember? The mystery of our relationship is hardly difficult to work out, especially since we all live in the same building, duh. He told me that he knew but that he also knew you weren't ready to tell anyone. So, he wanted to keep everything calm. For you, for us."

"Now I can't even be _mad_ at him," growled the empath, her eyes full of anger and relief at the same time. She shook her head, smiling dryly. "Clever bird."

"Yeah, he is smart like that," chuckled the changeling, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "But I'm glad; the last thing that we would have needed was all that extra pressure whilst you were getting used to the idea of us being together."

"That's fair. But you know, it all feels weirdly normal now," admitted Raven, her lilac eyes meeting his green ones. In that moment there was a strange electricity which passed between them, and she felt her heart pick up pace. He'd noticed, she knew he had. "Gar..."

He captured her lips in another kiss, but this time it was more passionate. Surprised for a moment, she gasped as he gripped her hair with some force. As they broke apart she confusedly stared into his face and saw that his eyes had changed. There was a primal, fierce energy in them. She was unsure if it excited her or frightened her. She tried again. "Gar?"

"Rae," he whispered, staring down at her lips with desire. He held himself back, taking a deep breath. "I-I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," smiled the empath, reaching her fingers up to touch his lips gently. Her mind was making sense of things. They were starting to understand each other's reactions and physiology so much better lately that she had a good idea what had just happened. "It was because my heartbeat changed, wasn't it?"

Beast Boy nodded, silently. His eyes were still strange. His pupils were dilated, and his breathing had quickened. She touched her hand down to his heart, which was hammering away with force underneath his t-shirt. She looked down and then back up at him reassuringly.

"It's okay. It's okay," she whispered soothingly, moving her face closer to his and stroking his cheek. She could sense his restraint; he was holding back those powerful emotions because he knew what effect it had on her empathic ability. It was in that moment it all shifted. Something changed in her. She looked him in the eyes, her own lilac ones filled with something different. Inclination. He saw it and he knew instantly. He swallowed, and she sensed a change in his emotions as they moved to a state of anxiety. Her voice whispered to him in the half light, a strange strength in her words. "I'm done, Gar. No more holding back. Not now, not ever."

"Rae, I don't want you to regret this."

"I'm not going to regret this," breathed the empath, her face inching closer to his. She could feel his barriers slipping, the emotions hitting her in drips. Lust. Passion. Desire. Love. Happiness. Fear. "I could never regret you, Garfield Logan."

That was all the reassurance he needed to hear; in that moment he knew that they were both in the same place and he allowed the barriers to come down completely. As soon as he did, his instincts kicked in again and he clutched her desperately once more. She didn't hesitate this time; her hands were in his hair, across his neck, down his back. She tugged his t-shirt away and their skin met. Electricity fired between them, chemical reactions firing rapidly in each of their bodies.

They sank into the darkness, into each other and their love. Allowing themselves to be together completely, without inhibition. The moon shone, and the stars twinkled in the sky, just as they always did. But for the two lovers everything was changed, forever.

* * *

The next morning Garfield's green eyes opened groggily. He couldn't remember why, but he had slept amazingly well. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked across the bed to see Raven. She was lying there still fast asleep; her face turned away and long violet hair flowing out behind her. His eyes traced her outline and he suddenly noticed that something was different. She was lying next to him completely naked, her pale skin peeking back at him in the early morning light. He swallowed, and memories of the previous night came flooding back to him in an instant. He wasn't sure whether to be ecstatic or terrified, as he felt both in equal measure.

Raven shifted slightly, and Beast Boy didn't dare move for fear of waking her. He had no idea of the time, but it didn't matter right now. She muttered lightly in her sleep then turned fully away from him, the sheets falling down to her waist. He could see her muscular pale back, her long slim arms. That familiar scent that was filling his nose. He couldn't help it; he smiled helplessly at the sight of her. It was as though he was seeing her for the first time. As she fell still, he turned gently to look at the time. 6am. Too early to get up.

Gingerly, he reached out and ran his hand down her arm lightly. She didn't make any sound, so he moved closer to her. Their bodies fell together in that familiar way, her hair tickling his face. He smiled again, feeling his overwhelming protective instincts taking over. He knew in that moment that he never wanted to let her go again. This was it. She was his 'one'. His mate. His everything. Just his.

She shifted slightly and mumbled. His sensitive hearing picked up one muttered word. "Gar."

"I'm here," he whispered softly, unsure if she was awake or asleep. She turned her head slightly to the side and smiled, answering his question. They fell back to silence, enjoying each other's warmth.

"Did last night really happen?" she asked, quietly. It was so quiet that the changeling wondered if he had dreamt it. But his ears did not lie.

"Yes, it really happened," he said, equally softly. His stomach tightened a little and he felt his heartbeat change as panic set in. "You...you're still okay with it, right?"

Her hand found his and she gave it a firm squeeze. "Gar, I don't regret it, stop worrying."

 _'Empath, right,'_ he thought, cursing himself for forgetting. He smiled; he could never lie to her even if he wanted to. "I'm sorry, Rae. I just wanted to be sure."

"I understand," she whispered, her breath settling again. She was somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. She yawned, and her body stiffened for a moment as something occurred to her. "Do you regret it?"

"No," he stated, firmly. His nose brushed her ear. "I loved every second."

He could feel her heart rate pick up very slightly despite her tired state, and he smiled in a satisfied way that he still had that reaction from her. Her voice spoke out one more time to him. "And I love you. Now go back to sleep before I put the curse of Azar on you."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled softly, and pressed himself closer to her again. They drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, but eventually fell back into a restful sleep. Just then, snow started to fall outside and patter on the window. It covered the streets, the roads, the buildings. But the two Titans didn't feel the cold. Not anymore.

* * *

Raven was the first to emerge from her room, wandering towards the kitchen in search of tea. She walked into the room to see the other three Titans making their respective breakfasts and she smiled. Everything seemed peaceful this morning, in line somehow. Raven walked over to the cupboards and reached up for her tea. Robin noticed her and gave a small nod as a greeting.

"Morning, Raven. Sleep okay?"

"Not too bad, all things considered," replied Raven, giving her stock answer to the young man. Robin raised his eyebrow at her, then narrowed his eyes; something was different. Then it struck him. She was _humming_. As Raven made the tea, she was humming under her breath. So that was that then. He smirked but made no mention of it, eyes flicking back down to the notes in front of him.

As the kettle boiled, the empath poured the hot water onto the teabag and let the steam rise up for a few moments. Her eyes scanned the room and she noticed the snowfall. "Wow. I guess it's definitely winter."

"Yes, friend!" exclaimed Starfire, excitedly. She was poking something disturbing looking with a spoon. It was fluorescent, and both seemed the consistency of jelly and something solid at the same time; it did not look appetising in the least. Raven's lip curled in disgust at her friend's food choice, but she managed a tiny smile. Starfire obliviously continued. "I wish we were able to go and play in the wondrous snow, but Robin says we must be getting on with our plans."

The princess seemed glum at her last statement and Raven raised her eyebrow, turning towards the dark-haired young man. "I see."

"Yeah, Rob's a major killjoy," scoffed Cy, as he clicked around on his laptop. "We're not allowed any fun anymore."

"Hey, that's not fair! I invited the other team over for a fun team bonding night, didn't I?" replied Robin defensively, without thinking. He immediately winced at the realisation of what he had just said, and the implications of it. Cyborg fell silent, and Raven and Starfire gave the boy wonder simultaneous death glares. Robin looked back down at his case files and didn't say another word. Thankfully the doors to ops opened and in walked the green changeling, yawning and stretching widely.

"Hey guys! It snowed!"

"Yes," nodded Starfire, glad to break the horrible atmosphere that had come over the room. "It is most marvellous and beautiful, is it not? What a glorious winter's day!"

"Sure is, Star," smiled Beast Boy, walking over towards the kitchen. Raven was turned towards the counter, stirring her tea slowly. Her other hand rested on the counter top. Beast Boy placed his hand next to hers, leaning on the counter as he reached up to get some cereal from the top cupboard. Surreptitiously, Raven linked her pinkie finger with his, a small smile on her face. At the contact, his green eyes flicked across to hers and he allowed a little grin before continuing to get his breakfast. The small moment passed between them without any of the other Titans even glancing up. Robin took his chance to avert the conversation.

"So, Titans. Today, we need to focus ourselves back on what Bruce said yesterday. We need to come up with some more plans for our upcoming mission against the SS."

They'd taken over recent times to the abbreviation to save time and effort in saying the full SSOSV acronym.

"What you got in mind, Rob?" asked Beast Boy, sitting down at the breakfast bar next to Starfire and munching his cereal as he waited for a response. Robin looked over at them and shrugged.

"Well the weather is a slight problem with some of the ideas I had in mind, but it's nothing we can't handle. It just means more time for planning and getting ready. Speaking of which: Star, how are those fighting plans coming along?"

"Gloriously, Robin," smiled the Tameranean proudly, producing her pink notebook from seemingly nowhere. "Friends Raven, Beast Boy and I have worked very hard to try and make sure that we have no gaps in our techniques. Would you like to see?"

She offered him the book, and he took it gingerly. It was as though he couldn't bear to be seen holding something so grotesque. Raven gave a little wry smile and leant over the breakfast bar towards him.

"It won't bite, Robin," she stated, sarcastically. "It's pink not infected."

Beast Boy and Starfire both giggled in unison at her comment. Robin glared at her, his frustration visible even behind the mask.

"Yes, thank you," he grumbled, pulling it towards himself more forcefully and opening it. He flicked through the pages and his expression changed. He was impressed. "Hey, guys. These are really good."

"Don't sound so surprised, dude," remarked the changeling, winking at their leader. "We did learn from the best."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," smirked Robin, still looking through the various suggestions his team had put together. "This is looking on point. Exactly what we needed. We can start drilling these new regimes from tomorrow."

Everyone nodded, murmuring in agreement with their leader. He continued, closing the book and pushing it back towards his girlfriend's eager hands. "For today, I think we shift focus. Being prepared is one thing, but we need to know more about what they're up to. As last night's meeting showed, the recon Beast Boy got us was invaluable to cracking some of Raven's riddles."

"I'll take _that_ as the compliment returned," joked Garfield, smiling at the boy wonder and folding his arms. Robin smiled briefly before standing up from the table and gathering his notes in his hands.

"I'm going to spend the day working out what we do. From here on in things are going to become tricky. We'll be on rotas for recon and other detective work until we've solved all or the riddles," began the boy wonder, starting to walk towards the door. He paused at the metal frame, his free hand resting on it. He smiled wryly. "And, as I've been branded such a killjoy this morning, why don't you all enjoy the snow for a while and hope you don't get interrupted by troublemakers in the city. Meeting tonight at 7pm to discuss where we go from here and what I've decided."

With one final nod, he turned on his heel and left the room. Everyone stopped and looked at each other in surprise. The changeling spoke first, eyes wide.

"Dude, did Robin legitimately give us a _day off_?" he asked, incredulously. Cyborg jumped to his feet.

"He gave us a freakin' day off!" exclaimed the metal man, excitedly. It was as though his inner child had been released. "Come on B, let's go up on the roof and make snow angels!"

Beast Boy looked at Raven, somehow seeking her permission. He was hopping from foot to foot with excitement. Clearly it was contagious. Raven looked at him, her eyebrow quirked. "Garfield, you're nearly twenty. You don't need my permission to go outside and 'play'. Knock yourself out."

He gave a little yelp of delight and grabbed Cyborg by the arm. The two of them ran out of ops like two naughty schoolchildren, giggling and cackling with glee as they ran.

"Not literally though!" shouted Raven, after them. She shook her head and took a sip of her tea before heading over to the couch. Starfire floated after her, quietly giggling.

"Friend, are they not the _funniest_ duo?" she asked, flying towards the window to look out over the city. Raven sat and looked at her, wrapping her hands around the warm mug and smiling.

"They're idiots," she conceded, giving a dry smile. "But they're happy idiots, and that's a good thing."

"Agreed," confirmed the Tameranean, sighing deeply. "It is a shame that Robin will not be joining me for the fun today. I will be missing him. I am guessing that you will be wanting to spend time with friend Beast Boy, yes?"

"Are you kidding, Star?" asked Raven, almost laughing at the suggestion. "Spending the day with those two when there is snow around is _not_ my idea of fun. It'll be pranks galore."

"Then...you will be spending the day alone in your room?" asked Starfire, her voice nervous yet hopeful. Raven looked at her, her own eyes full of understanding. Seeing her best friend like that was like watching an adorable little kitten begging for a ball of yarn. She sighed.

"Kori, would you like to hang out today?" asked Raven, as if the idea had just occurred to her. Fortunately, she was good at acting. Starfire did a flip in the air with glee at the notion.

"Oh, friend!" she exclaimed happily. "How wondrous! Yes, I would most definitely like to spend the girl time with you. What would you like to partake in on this glorious day?"

Raven sat in quiet thought for a few moments, sipping her tea. She looked over at her friend, a glint in her lilac eyes. "I would like to go for a walk."


	29. Chapter 29 - Snow and Foes

**Author's note:** **Sorry it's taken me ages to update – things have been hectic in my life. Please enjoy this super long chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed the fluffy last chapter and it makes up for the awful tragedies about to befall the Titans (kidding...or am I?) :) Here's a plot progression piece. Read and review please, you lovely people. It keeps me going – let me know you want more! I always moderate and allow guest reviews, so every single one is read and counts.**

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 **Spawry: Thanks so much for the feedback :)**

 **Sanzojoe: Thank you – I'm glad that you felt it was appropriate! :)**

 **Disclaimer** **: I do not own Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-nine – Snow and Foes**

The park looked even more magical in the snow. Raven had grabbed her thick black coat, put some black trousers on and swapped her elfin boots for some long, faux fur-lined black ones. Her faux-fur hood was firmly up around her head, a purple scarf peeking out from the top of her zip. Her breath was blowing out in white puffs around her, as the cold air filled her lungs. Starfire had also dressed accordingly; her pink parka coat and matching pink faux-fur lined boots were trudging through the snow next to the empath.

"Friend, how beautiful the world is today!" smiled the Tameranean, oblivious of the cold. Raven was reconsidering. As lovely as it was, she was absolutely freezing. Her teeth started to chatter.

"I'm s-so c-cold t-though," she managed between chatters. Starfire tilted her head, her nose red from the cold. "A-aren't you f-f-freezing too?"

Starfire shook her head, a big grin on her face. "My Tameranean blood appears to be thicker than yours."

"J-j-jealous of that," Raven stammered, clapping her hands together for warmth. She took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from rattling. "It is really pretty though. The way it's all fallen on the trees, the way that the lake is frozen over."

"It is like you are writing the poetry," giggled Starfire, raising her gloved hands to her face. She saw her best friend's expression and raised her hands defensively. "I am liking it!"

They wandered around in silence for a while. Starfire looked sidelong at her friend. Something was _different_ about her today. She had an inkling but couldn't tell definitively what it was. Raven seemed more calm and peaceful somehow. In truth, throughout the past few months the empath had appeared much more relaxed since her new relationship with the changeling, but...there was something else today. Her Tameranean instincts were definitely telling her that there was a difference in the woman. She looked back towards the path, unsure whether to broach it. Raven was always secretive, and she knew that if she pushed too hard then the Azarathian would retract.

She would have to be sneaky. Starfire tilted her head towards Raven and gave her best smile. "I have been wanting to ask you how you have been feeling now that everyone else is aware of your relationship with friend Beast Boy?"

Raven rubbed her red nose with her gloved hand and sniffed. "It was a relief, but also difficult for everyone to find out like that."

"Because of Aqualad seeing you together on the roof?"

Raven's lilac eyes shifted to Star and she raised her eyebrow. "Is that what he told you?"

"It is not the truth?"

"Not exactly," replied Raven, unsure how far she wanted to go with this line of enquiry. "Let's just say that Garth has a mouth to get himself into trouble."

"Please," stated Starfire, confusion all over her face. "I do not understand your meaning."

Raven sighed deeply. "Look, Aqualad was being...inappropriate and G- _Beast Boy_ stepped in to help me out. That's how he found out the truth."

"Oh, I see," replied Starfire, nodding. She didn't really, but it didn't seem relevant. It sounded to her as though her two friends had managed the situation how they felt was best and that was all that mattered. "It seems that friend Garth did not wish to be fully honest with us about the conversation then."

 _'I wonder why,'_ thought Raven, sarcasm oozing from her thoughts. _'What an idiot.'_

"Still," remarked the Tameranean, brightly. "It sufficed in meaning that we no longer have to speak in secrecy about your relationship. Now everyone is knowing; you are able to be yourself more freely."

"True," conceded Raven, a strange smile coming across her face. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms gently. The two lapsed into silence, both staying with their own thoughts. Starfire took a deep breath.

"Well, it appears you have recovered. You are definitely seeming in the 'good mood' today," remarked the princess, innocently. Raven shot her a sideways glance. How did she _always_ know?

"You know, don't you?" she replied, raising her eyebrow. "How?"

Starfire looked at her, a tinkle of light laughter pouring out of her mouth. "I am not certain. You seemed different this morning, my instincts are telling me you are changed somehow in a way which can never go back. I guess you could say I was putting the three and three together."

Raven smiled at the misquote, shaking her head. "I see."

"You are...wanting to talk about it?" asked Star, her eyes shimmering a little bit. Raven felt a blush creeping over her face and she pulled her hood tighter around her face.

"Not really," she replied, gruffly. "Isn't it a normal part of every relationship, eventually?"

"Well, I am not sure of the earthly ways," shrugged Starfire, playing with her red hair absently. "But most certainly on Tameran, we consider it to be the normal."

"Well, I think that's the case here too," replied Raven, also shrugging. She looked at Star's eager face and sighed. "Look, Star. I'm new to all this stuff; relationships, love and everything else. I don't really know what I'm doing but..."

She paused, wringing her hands and breathing out the cold air. "I'm happy. As happy as I've ever been. And that has to be a good thing, right?"

Starfire nodded, vehemently. "Of course, friend. Your powers have also been much better, have they not?"

"I think that it's always been the negative ones that seem to cause the most problems," replied Raven, her lilac eyes shifting to watch some robins fighting in the trees. "The issue is that being in any kind of relationship creates both good and bad emotions. It always felt too risky before."

"And now?" asked Star, curiously.

"It feels...right," replied Raven, simply. She sniffed again. "It's hard to explain. Believe me, I'm not saying that it would be true of anyone, but it feels right with him."

"Then that is all that matters," smiled Starfire, wrapping her arm around Raven. Raven looked at her a little warily but allowed the physical contact. Star continued. "If it is how I am thinking it is, then you are unlikely to _have_ to be with anyone else."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," growled Raven, her lilac eyes furrowing. "We've been seeing each other for three months, that's all."

"Yes, but you were already friends _and_ live together," countered the Tameranean, her eyes defiant. She released Raven from her grasp and the empath looked at her gratefully. "That is surely going to mean things feel different than for most earthly couples who have been dating for a few months, is it not?"

"Let's just...take it one step at a time," smiled Raven, pushing her lilac hair out of her eyes. "I'm happy. He's happy. Right now, that's enough isn't it?"

Starfire shrugged but then nodded grudgingly. "If you say so, friend."

"Besides, Star, in our line of business who knows how long happiness will last."

"That is true! It is a luckstroke that you both found each other now before our mission becomes too deep."

Raven gave a light laugh at Star's muddled phrase. "A luckstroke? Don't you mean a stroke of luck?"

"Is that not the same thing?" asked Star, smiling brightly. Raven smiled back, appreciating her friend's strange ways for a moment.

Then her eyes changed. Fear. She collapsed to her knees, her hands raising to her chakra. It was pulsating with red light. The empath screamed. Trees were pulling and twisting in the ground, the frozen lake cracking loudly.

"FRIEND!" exclaimed Star, dropping down beside her. Blood was pouring from Raven's nose. Starfire pulled a tissue from her pocket and tried to staunch the flow. "Oh no, oh no...Raven, are you well? Please do the speaking to me!"

Raven couldn't hear her, she was deep within a vision. Her head was flicking violently from side to side and she held Star's jacket with a vice like grip. Snow flew around them, swirling like a tornado. Raven suddenly gasped, and everything fell to the ground, including her limp body.

Star quickly caught her, before her face hit the cold snow. The young redheaded woman raised her up, Raven's violet hair falling across her face. "Friend, wake up! Wake up now, please!"

The lilac orbs flickered open, filled with confusion. "S-starfire?"

"I am here," replied the Tameranean, cradling her friend close to her soothingly. "You are the safe."

"I...I had another vision," she managed, still looking confused. Then it flooded back to her. She sat bolt upright and gripped onto Starfire again. "Oh God. I had a vision."

"What did you see?" asked the princess, her face filled with confusion and fear at what was happening. Her eyes hardened as Raven didn't respond, her face still widened with terror. Star shook her gently. "Friend, what did you see?"

"You triggered me," explained Raven, shaking the snow from her arms and unsteadily standing up. Star supported her, as she made it to her feet. She wrapped her arm around the empath, holding her in place as she continued to speak. "When you said luckstroke. It's not a stroke of death. It's Deathstroke."

Starfire's eyes widened. She looked at Raven, all concern replaced with a sense of purpose. "Come. We must return to the Tower at once. Robin will want to know."

* * *

On the roof, the two male Titans were having a snowball fight. Cyborg scooped a big load of snow and launched it at the changeling. Garfield shifted to a hummingbird, shooting out of the way and landing in his elephant form. He used his trunk to hurl some snow at his cybernetic friend. It hit him in the chest and sent him gambolling backwards. BB changed back into his human form and started laughing uncontrollably at the scene. The momentary lapse in concentration would be his undoing. A huge well-timed snowball knocked him in the head and he fell flat on his back.

"OOF!" exclaimed the changeling, looking at the clear blue sky as he felt the wind knocked out of him. A face blocked the light, standing over him and laughing. Beast Boy began chuckling too, as Cy offered him a hand up. Shaking like a dog to get the snow off himself, he grinned at his best friend.

"Dude that was _so_ much fun!"

"Man, I haven't laughed like that since I was eight years old," conceded his friend, walking to the edge of the tower and brushing some of the snow off the ledge. He sat down, dangling his legs over. "Thanks, B."

"For what?" asked the green shapeshifter, following suit. His lanky legs hung down off the side as he sat down next to his friend. "For making you eat ice?"

"Yeah, that. But also, just bein' there for me lately," replied Cyborg, clapping his hand onto Beast Boy's back. He gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I appreciate it, bro."

"Hey, C-man," stated the changeling, patting his friend on the back. "Come on, dude. You don't need to thank me for that. That's what I'm here for, right?"

He smiled and offered his fist out for a bump. Cy smiled back and bumped his fist to Garfield's gently. They both turned towards the city, sitting amicably in the snowy landscape.

"So," said Cy, breaking the silent atmosphere suddenly. Beast Boy turned towards him. "How are things goin' with you and our Raven?"

"Oh, great," smiled the changeling, his cheeks suddenly turning red. "You know, same as they have been. Just the same. Good. Yup."

Cyborg raised his eyebrow. "Okay, B. What's goin' on?"

"Nothing! Why would anything be going on? I'm great! We're great. How are you?"

Cy laughed at his friend's discomfort. "You are so funny, dawg. You're blushin' like crazy. What's happened?"

"What's happened?" repeated Garfield, trying to stop his mind from flicking to the previous night. He could only repeat the question, as he got lost in his thoughts and was unable to speak properly for a moment. "What's happened? Umm..."

Cyborg's mind suddenly clicked. He smirked. "Oh, _that's_ what's happened."

"What?!" exclaimed the shapeshifter, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't say anything!"

"No, don't worry, man. You were the perfect gentleman," grinned the cybernetic man, teasingly. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to give you 'the talk'?"

"Dude, quit it!" complained Beast Boy, putting his hands over his ears. He could feel the heat from his face melting the snow. "Can we change the subject, _please_?"

"Why you bein' so weird about it? You're both adults," laughed Cy, clapping his friend on the shoulder and trying to reassure him. He lowered his voice and narrowed his eyes. "But if you break her heart, I may just have to kill you. Big brother duties and all that."

Garfield felt the squeeze on his shoulder tightening. He winced. "As if, Cy. You know I wouldn't do that."

"I do," smiled Cyborg, releasing him from the death grip. "You think I wouldn't have _already_ killed you by now if I didn't?"

"True," chuckled Beast Boy, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. They lapsed into silence again for a few moments. "You know that I'm in love with her, right?"

Cyborg looked over at him, slowly. He nodded. "I had an idea."

"I'm not talking about like before. Like with Terra," began the changeling, opening up a little bit. His emerald eyes turned out to look towards the city. "I mean I loved her, but it was a...childish affection. This is different. I know it's like _super_ cheesy but Raven...she's the one. I just know it."

The cybernetic man found himself feeling a little surprised at the mature words coming out of his friend's mouth. He couldn't help smiling, despite himself. "I see. You got it bad, huh?"

"Oh yeah," conceded the changeling, nodding. His eyes were still trained on the city. "Really bad."

"Well, I think you made a good choice. She's a special girl," replied Cyborg, leaning forward onto his knees. "I'm just glad y'all are happy."

"I know," replied Garfield, taking a brief glance towards his best friend. "Thanks."

There was a strange silence between them. Cyborg noticed that there was something playing on the young man's mind, and he was unsure whether to push it. Despite his goofy nature, the changeling was quite secretive about some things. In that way, he and Raven were eerily similar. He waited, hoping that he would open up naturally. Eventually, Beast Boy spoke.

"You know, I've thought about my real parents a lot lately," he began, quietly. Cyborg looked towards him, knowing he was opening up. He nodded but didn't interrupt. Beast Boy sighed. "I miss them. That's why I don't talk about them all that much. They died when I was younger."

Cyborg felt a sadness in his chest, his own painful memories returning for a moment. "That must have been tough for you, man."

"It was," replied the young green man, a strange smile on his face. "I never thought I'd find family like that again. Then the Doom Patrol took me in. After that, I figured that was the best I'd get. Then I met you guys and it took it up another level. You're the best friends and closest to family I've ever had in my whole life."

He paused, taking a deep breath and then expelling it. "But then this with Raven, it's like a whole new level again. I feel like I'm creating my own family, somehow. It feels strange, but it's like coming home again."

"Wow, dude," replied Cy, looking a little dumbfounded. "That's deep."

"Yeah, I know. Always the joker, never thought I could do deep," teased Garfield, turning his head back towards his friend again. His eyes were still serious. "But there it is."

"Look, I'm sorry about your parents, man. God knows we've all had messed up childhoods one way or another. But I'm proud to be part of your family. And I know that your folks would be proud of the way you turned out. Which of course is mostly my doin'," added Cyborg, playfully. Beast Boy smiled gratefully at his friend's attempt at humour. Cy paused for a moment. "What were their names?"

"Marie and Mark Logan," replied Beast Boy, tears in his emerald eyes. "You'd have liked 'em. They were scientists."

"Huh," replied Cyborg, smiling a little. They both looked back towards the city. "You're full of surprises, green bean."

Suddenly they saw two familiar figures flying back towards the tower. Cyborg gave BB a nudge. "Looks like the ladies have returned. No chance of more snowball fights now then."

Garfield snorted, and shoved his friend back as the two female Titans landed back on the roof. Their expressions changed when they saw the concern lining Starfire's face and the blood stains on Raven's nose.

"Rae!" exclaimed the changeling, pushing himself to his feet and running over to her. He grabbed her arms and lifted her chin up. His eyes matched the concern of the Tameranean. "Oh no. Another vision?"

Raven nodded, her serious gaze trained on him. "We need to find Robin. Now."

Garfield looked at her, worried for her safety. But judging by her hard stare, he knew she meant business. He knew he needed to trust that. He nodded. "Okay, let's go."

"Friends, please!" said Starfire as they turned to walk down the stairs that led into the main part of the Tower. Three sets of eyes turned to look at her. "If I may...please...could I speak with Robin first? Alone?"

Raven's lilac eyes looked at her with a hard look in them. "Star, you know we need to—"

"Raven, as a member of the team I am most aware of the situation," replied the princess, her eyes shining with defiance. She looked sorrowful for a moment and closed her eyes. Sighing she reopened them. "But I am asking, as your friend, please? Let me spend but five minutes with him. If you would all go and wait in the other room, I shall bring him to you shortly."

Raven's eyes were firm for a moment, but then they softened. She nodded silently and headed down the stairs. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other in confusion, then followed the Azarathian without another word.

Starfire released a flow of breath from her mouth and closed her eyes. She drew in another deep one and straightened to her full height. This conversation was going to be painful.

* * *

In ops, Raven and the two male Titans sat down on the couches. Cyborg looked at Beast Boy and nodded his head towards Raven, a look in his eyes that said: _'Find out what's goin' on, dammit!'_

Garfield took the hint and cleared his throat. He trod carefully. "Rae, would you be able to tell me and Cy what's going on? We're worried about you and Star."

The empath's mind seemed to be in another place. She barely heard him speak. Her lilac eyes were trained on the floor, narrowed in concentration. "Hmm?"

"Raven," he tried again, touching her arm. She didn't move but stayed in her same pensive state. He tried once more. "Raven, would you _please_ listen to me for a minute?"

"WHAT?"

Her eyes turned to his, for a moment filled with fury. The couch lifted off the floor, encased in its usual black glow. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked equally alarmed at the reaction. Upon seeing this, her eyes returned to normal and they were levitated to the ground. She let out a deep sigh and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," soothed the changeling, rubbing her back and shrugging at the equally confused cybernetic man. "We just want to know what's going on."

"Yeah, Raven. Why don't you just tell us what you saw?" tried Cy, gingerly. She sighed deeply again and brought her head back up. She flicked her long hair out of her face and pulled her hood into its usual position.

 _'That's not a good sign,'_ thought Garfield, worriedly. _'She only ever does that when there is trouble ahead.'_

"Let's just say I know the identity of one of the other SS members," began Raven, trying to stay composed. She closed her eyes. "And you aren't going to like it. Especially Robin."

Cyborg looked confused, but Beast Boy made the connection in a second. His hand dropped away from her back and he turned his own eyes away from her. "No. It can't be."

"Come on guys, what am I missing?" pleaded Cyborg, his red eye flashing. "Who did you see?"

"You'll find out soon enough," stated Raven, coldly. "I want to wait until the others are here. The point is, this changes everything. For all of us."

Cyborg narrowed his eyes. He could have sworn that he saw the empath glance at the changeling when she spoke those words. Garfield's eyes were still trained on the ground, unmoving. He hadn't noticed clearly. But that explained Raven's earlier mood at least. Cy shrugged in defeat, under her lilac stare. "Alright, Rae. If that's what you think is best, then I'll wait. But are _you_ okay? Those visions take a lot out of you, little lady."

"I'm fine, Cyborg," replied Raven, her monotone voice clearly back in action. She managed a small smile. "I just want everyone together to talk."

She paused, then stood up and moved away from Beast Boy. Arriving at the window she stood motionlessly, her long cloak flowing behind her. After a few quiet minutes she spoke. "What's taking Star so _long_?"

There was a hint of irritation in the Azarathian's voice, and it seemed to snap the green shapeshifter out of his thoughts. He looked up towards her, but he didn't speak. Cy was confused by all these strange signals, but he knew something bad was about to happen. The cybernetic man looked towards the door which led into ops and sighed. "Hopefully they won't be too long."

* * *

Starfire knocked on Robin's door and stood there awkwardly, knots in her stomach. "Robin? You are there?"

"Star?" came a voice from the other side, and then there was some scuffling of papers. The door flew open and Robin stood there looking at her confusedly. "You okay?"

"May I please come in?"

The boy wonder raised his eyebrows and nodded, turning to allow her to walk in. The door whooshed shut behind her and she walked into his familiar room. She sat down on the bed and tucked her legs up, as Raven would before she meditated. Somehow it made her feel calmer. Robin watched her with some concern before sitting down beside her. They were silent for a few moments before he spoke.

"Kori, don't you want to go outside? You were so excited about the snow this morning."

"Yes, Richard," sniffed the Tameranean, feeling some tears pricking at her eyes. Her jade orbs observed him, filled with sadness. "But that was then, and this is the now."

Robin looked at his girlfriend's expression and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I am afraid," she said, a few tears leaking out. "Afraid of what will happen if I do."

"Starfire," began the young man, gently. "It's me. I would never hurt you."

"It is not me that I am afraid for," replied Star, pulling gently back from his embrace. "It is you."

"Me?" questioned Robin, with some surprise. He let out a small laugh. "I'm absolutely fine. There's no need to worry for me."

"Yes, there is," sighed the Tameranean, running her hands through her red hair and pulling at the strands. "There will be."

"Star, please stop talking in riddles. I've been looking at Raven's all day and I can't take any more," stated the boy wonder, gruffly. He placed one arm around her for reassurance. "Just talk to me."

"Raven had another vision," replied Star, her eyes looking away from his and out of his window. "She knows the identity of one of the villains you seek."

"What?" said Robin, his eyes widening. He smiled a little in relief. "That's great news, Star! Why would I be upset about that? Is Raven okay?"

"She is the fine," nodded the princess, a sad expression still on her beautiful face. She raised her hand to her face. "She is waiting for you in the other room with friends Cyborg and Beast Boy. But, Robin, you must understand...you must know the identity before we speak with her."

"We can't keep them waiting, Star," replied the young man, running his hand through his dark hair anxiously and releasing her from his arm. "You know we need to deal with this now."

"I am," smiled Starfire, but it was a tired smile and her jade eyes were dull. "This is the best way I am knowing to do so. You must first know the identity here with me. You must be prepared before you are facing the team."

"No," replied Robin, realisation dawning on his face at her words. "It _can't_ be."

"It is, my love," replied Starfire, now wrapping her arm around him. "He is back."

"But..."

"The riddle; a stroke of death. Raven's vision revealed the name Deathstroke. If I am remembering correctly, this is one of the names which he uses, is it not?"

Robin nodded, numbly. All colour had drained from his face. Concerned lines were across his forehead as he frowned. "Yes. It's him. It's Slade."

"Yes," replied Starfire, rubbing his arm soothingly. She sighed. "Perhaps now you are understanding why I wished to speak with you."

"I am," stated Robin, his voice distant and cold. His eyes narrowed beneath his mask. "Slade."

"Please do not shut us out," implored the young woman, tilting his chin up towards her face. "Robin, please. You must take your own advice, and Batman's too. We are best when we work together. We are stronger as a team, as a family."

"But Star—"

"No buts," replied the princess, firmly. Her eyes were glowing slightly. "You are knowing how I feel about this. You _cannot_ become obsessive. You cannot let him get to you. If Slade is truly involved, then we beat him. You are understanding me? We. Not simply you."

Robin nodded, her words reaching him faintly. He nodded again, as if to secure them in his mind. "Okay."

"Good," replied Starfire, firmly. She gave his shoulder a little shake. "Now, you must lead us. You must be strong."

His eyes fell onto hers. She was so powerful and wise. He reached over and kissed her gently. She met his lips and felt the relief wash over her as they shared a moment together. As they broke apart, she gently rubbed his face with her hand and smiled.

"What would I do without you?" asked the boy wonder, rhetorically. His voice was gentle, his tone low. "I hear what you're saying. I'll try my best."

"That is all I am asking," replied Starfire, rising to her feet. She offered him her hand and he took it. As he also rose to his feet, their eyes met. Starfire gave him her best smile. "Now, let us go and speak with the others."

* * *

As Robin and Starfire entered ops, they could sense the tension in the air. Robin knew instantly that something had transpired between the three from Cyborg's imploring look. But he also knew that he couldn't approach that at the moment; his mind was focused on the mission at hand.

"Raven," he stated, his voice commanding and low. The empath was still staring out of the window but turned to face him at the sound of his voice. She nodded as he continued speaking. "Another vision."

"Yes," she replied, her voice monotone and her face deadpan behind the hood. "I know the identity of another SS member. It's Deathstroke."

Robin nodded, as Star looked anxiously towards him. Beast Boy looked down at the floor. Cyborg shook his head, as realisation dawned on him. That's what the others were talking about.

"Slade," Cy stated, his own human eye narrowing as he stared down at the couch. "Not again."

"I'm sorry," said Raven, coldly. "I wish it was better news. But it was him. In the vision I saw him. The same mask. A slightly different outfit. Two samurai swords."

Robin's eyes narrowed again, and he sat at the counter on one of the stools. Starfire sank down next to him, still looking agitated. The boy wonder took a deep breath.

"This is...troubling," he managed, his eyes raising to meet Raven's. "But it isn't your fault, Raven. You're having the visions, not making them a reality."

Raven nodded, a small smile on her lips by way of thanks. It vanished a moment later. Robin fell into silence for a few more moments before he spoke again.

"I need to speak to Batman, make him aware of this. Then we will have our meeting as planned for seven o'clock."

He turned to look at Starfire, giving her a nod of reassurance before he turned and walked back out of ops. The silence that he left was a far cry from what they had experienced that morning. All hope felt gone for a moment.

"Is it true, Raven?" ventured Beast Boy, eventually. "Is Slade really back again?"

"I—I don't know," replied Raven, her eyes faltering away from his enquiring green ones. "I only know what I saw."

She could feel all of the emotions pouring off her team mates. It was overwhelming her, making her feel nauseous and faint. The empath walked towards the door, suddenly. "I need to go meditate."

Within a flash she was gone. The other three looked after her. Cyborg turned to Beast Boy, a look of concern on his face. "B, what the hell, man? What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," lied the changeling, standing up. "I'm going to go to my room. See you guys at seven."

Cyborg and Starfire looked at each other as he left the room. Cy took a deep breath. "You gonna storm out too?"

"No," replied Starfire, shaking her head. "Are you, friend?"

"Nah," sighed Cyborg. "Not my style."

* * *

Raven paced the inside of her room, all of her objects floating around her. He was back. Slade. Why did it have to be him? All the bad memories. Trigon. Birthmarks. The end of the world. Robin's madness. Destruction. It was all suffocating her. To make matters worse, the feelings coming from the Tower were making subjugating her. Fear, anger, betrayal, sadness, concern. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Sinking to her knees, she took a couple of deep breaths and tried to centre herself.

"Come on, Raven," she said to herself. "Nothing's been found yet. It could all be a hoax. Some kind of trick. Let's not get carried away."

Gradually things came down to the floor, slowly. She breathed a sigh of relief at seeing them land. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Her familiar chant brought instant relief. She stood up and pushed herself onto the bed. She was exhausted and afraid. But all she could think about was the look he gave her.

Those green eyes. Filled with that same look. The same look he had when Terra died. It was haunting her. She pushed her face into her hands and wanted to cry. But she wouldn't allow herself to. Not when nothing had been proven.

Besides, they didn't need to know the whole vision. Not yet.

The knock on her door startled her. She scrambled to her feet and pulled her hood over her head. "Yes?"

"Rae, it's me. I didn't just want to barge in," came the familiar voice of the changeling. She sighed, her stomach knotting. Did she really want to see him like this? She knew his persistence. He wouldn't leave if she didn't answer. Sighing, she walked to the door and opened it. He stood there staring at her, a strange look in his eyes.

She looked at him silently but didn't speak. He blinked at her, but then regained himself. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, after...you know..."

"Yes," she replied, blandly. "I'm just tired after the vision."

"If you say so," he replied, equally as distantly. "Do you want me to leave you to meditate?"

She felt her whole body wanting to reach towards him, to find comfort in his arms. But she couldn't risk it. "I think that's probably for the best."

"Okay. I'll see you later then?"

"Okay," she said, quietly. She felt her eyes filling with tears. "I'll see you later."

He nodded, his eyes lingering for a moment. Raven could feel his hurt, he wasn't trying to mask it. But she felt unable to do anything. She was too weak, too vulnerable. Too dangerous. He turned and walked away without looking back. She watched him leave, salty tears leaking out of her eyes as she shut the door.

 _'This is why you are destined to be alone,'_ came a horrible voice from inside of her. She closed her eyes and leant back against the door. _'He doesn't really love you. He's going to leave you the second he can.'_

"No," she whispered, letting the tears fall around her. "No, I don't believe you. Gar loves me."

 _'He loves the idea of you,'_ responded the voice, harshly. _'The minute he finds someone better, he'll go.'_

Curling into a ball on the floor, the Azarathian sobbed herself to sleep, ignoring the faint sounds of crashing and cracking within her room.

* * *

A knock at the door woke Raven, and she looked around her darkened room warily. There were cracks in Cyborgs handiwork already. She sighed, pushing herself to her feet. She wiped her hand across her face and spoke as dryly as she could. "What?"

"Friend, I do not mean to disturb," came the Tameranean's familiar voice. "It is the quarter to the seven, and our meeting is going to be starting soon."

A pause. Raven rubbed her face again, pulling her hood up and tucking her long hair away. Starfire tried again. "Raven? You are okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I'll...see you down there," managed the empath, resting her fingers on the cool metal.

"Okay," came the uncertain response. "See you shortly."

The footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Raven knew her friend had gone. She sighed and looked at the floor. Beast Boy was in her mind; the thought of seeing him filled her with a strange anguish. The vision echoed in her head. She closed her eyes and frowned.

"It's not real," she told herself, firmly. "It won't happen."

She stood up again, channelling her soul self and trying to calm it. She knew the others would be expecting her at the meeting. Her muscles ached and cramped from her awkward sleeping position on the floor. She opened her door, cautiously and began to walk down the corridor. As she reached ops, the door opened to reveal Starfire and Cyborg deep in conversation. They turned to see her enter and both acknowledged her entrance.

"Friend, you are feeling better?" asked Starfire, hope tinging her voice. "From the vision? The meditation has helped, yes?"

"Um, yeah," managed Raven, her eyes faltering for a moment. "Sure, Star."

"That is good," replied the Tameranean, equally as uncertainly. "Friend Beast Boy is not with you?"

"No," stated Raven, dryly. Before walking past and sitting down on the couch. She folded her arms across herself and fell into silence. In her head she was repeating her mantra over and over.

 _'I will not let this bother me. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. I will not let him cloud my thoughts. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. I will not allow my emotions to control me.'_

She was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't hear the changeling enter the room. He sat down at the breakfast bar near Cyborg and Starfire. They were all talking quietly. She was unable to hear what they said, but it didn't matter. She was trying to focus on her breathing and keeping her soul self under control.

Robin's voice broke her concentration. "Let's start this meeting."

Her eyes opened, as everyone joined her on the couch. Beast Boy sat away from her, next to Cyborg. She noticed, and her heart gave a pang. He didn't even look over towards her, despite her little sideward glance to him.

"I've just spoken with Batman, and it's not good news," stated the young man, a grim tone to his voice. "It turns out that Slade, or Deathstroke, has connections to the SS."

There were murmurs of concern amongst the team. Raven's heart began to pound loudly, her dark aura crackling around her. Everyone looked over at her and she took a deep breath to calm it down. Robin continued.

"I'm sorry guys. It looks like he's back. Batman has suggested that the JLA look into the other members for now. We focus on Slade. We know him, we understand how he operates. If we can take him down, then we can begin to take apart the SS one by one. Wonder Woman is working on Cheetah and the other JLA are trying to locate Dr Morrow. The rest remains a mystery, but Bruce is on it."

"So, what does this mean?" asked Starfire. "How does this change things?"

"It doesn't in some ways," replied Robin, looking at her and tilting his head. "Training continues as normal. I'm going to run some recon with Batman, based on his current leads. You guys need to keep an eye on Jump City. It's likely we're going to have to face off with him as a team, but it could take some time before we're ready. If Slade is back...he's going to be more powerful than ever."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Cyborg spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "You're gonna run recon alone? Will you manage that alone, man?"

"I won't be alone. Bruce will be there the whole time," reassured Robin, placing his hand on the metal man's shoulder. "You have my word. This won't be like last time."

He released the metal man and his eyes fell on the Tameranean princess. "I made a promise."

She blushed lightly. "We will manage things whilst you are gone. It will be okay."

He nodded and looked around the team. "I need to go. Bruce is expecting me at Wayne Manor for a briefing. I'll take the R-Cycle. Don't wait up. See you tomorrow."

He walked over and gave Star a brief kiss before leaving ops. Raven stood to her feet as soon as he left and walked out of ops without another word. Starfire watched her anxiously.

"Friend Beast Boy, why do you not follow her?"

"She wants to be alone," he stated, distantly. "I already tried before."

"What is _with_ you?" questioned Cyborg, his voice a bit harsh. "You're actin' weirdly, and it's clearly upsettin' her too."

"Leave it, Cy," replied Garfield, his voice gravelly. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Friend, we are just worried!" exclaimed Star, placing her hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. He softened at her touch and sighed.

"I know, Star. Look guys, it's just been a bad day. We'll be fine tomorrow, I promise."

"Man, I know you want me to drop it. I'm not going to push you to talk to us," began Cy, placing his arm on Gar's other shoulder. "But you should talk to her. Think about what she's goin' through right now. You care about her, I know you do. Just...do the right thing, man. Please."

Beast Boy nodded, silently. Starfire gave him a brief hug. "Cyborg is correct, friend. Raven is...fragile. You know this. She is not okay even if she says that she is. And neither are you. You need each other for the support."

The changeling sighed, hanging his head slightly. "Alright. I'll go speak to her."

He stood up and walked out of ops without another word and headed towards the empath's room. His friend's words echoed in his mind. He knew what her response would be, but maybe they were right. He should try anyway. If he could just push these intrusive thoughts away...

Knocking on the door, he waited for a response. There wasn't one. He tried again. Still no response. He leant against the door, sliding to the floor and sitting down. He pulled his communicator out and typed a message out.

 _Are you ignoring me? Gx_

He heard a ping behind the door, and some movement. He waited for a message to come back, his heart in his throat. Maybe Cy and Star were right. Maybe he'd blown these past few amazing months in a few short hours. The thought terrified him. Suddenly, his communicator vibrated in his hand.

 _Come in, Gar._

He sighed, reading between the lines and interpreting the tone of the message. But at least she had replied. He pushed himself to his feet and opened the door. The room was dark, apart from a few lit candles. Raven was seated in the middle of her bed. She had been meditating, he realised. He stood at the door, unsure whether to enter or not. Her lilac eyes flickered open and stared at him.

He looked at her expectantly and waited. She did the same. It was like a chess game and neither wanted to move. Then, all of a sudden, they both spoke at once.

"I'm sorry if I—"

"Listen, I didn't mean to—"

They both paused, realising they were speaking over each other. Garfield gave a grin and then laughed a little. Raven's face broke into a small smile, and she chuckled lightly.

"You first," said the changeling, feeling his nerves subside slightly. He walked toward the bed, stopping at the edge. Raven's head hung low, and she gave a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Gar, if I was a bit funny with you before. I'm just struggling with my soul self, to keep everything in check. I think I regressed to when Slade was last around."

As she was talking, Beast Boy looked around her room and noticed some fresh cracks in Cyborg's plaster work. He winced a little and turned back to look at her. Her eyes looked sad in the flickering candle light. He softened.

"Rae, I'm sorry too. I was just so surprised by what you said. I can't believe he's back," the changeling said, his own head hanging slightly. Raven rolled onto her knees and moved towards the edge of the bed. She gently reached out and touched his arm. His green eyes raised and locked onto hers.

"It was a lot to take on and...it doesn't hold good memories for either of us," the empath stated, understandingly. "I can feel your pain and my own. The pain of everyone in the Tower. It's overwhelming me. When I'm overwhelmed...well, I'm dangerous."

"You're not dangerous," countered Gar, reaching out his gloved hand to her face. "You'd never hurt us. You'd never hurt me."

"Not intentionally," responded Raven, her lilac eyes faltering again and looking at the floor. "But it scares me. Then the more scared I get the worse it all gets and..."

She paused, gesturing around the room with her free hand. "You know how it is. Maybe it would be better if you were away from me for a while. Let me get myself back under control."

"Raven, that's not what you really want," stated Garfield, firmly. "You're saying that because your default is to push us all away."

She looked at him in surprise upon hearing his confident words. He stared at her, a little defiance in his eyes. She swallowed, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden. It was like he could read her. Was this how she made others feel with her empathic abilities?

" _Don't_ push me away," he stated, tilting her chin gently with his free hand. His eyes and voice softened. "Please."

Raven felt tears pricking her eyes. "I...I don't want to but..."

"Then _don't,_ " he insisted again, sitting down on the bed next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders. "You told me last night. You said you wouldn't regret me. You said you weren't going to hold back anymore."

"That was before—"

"Before what? Before things got difficult? 'Cause the last time I checked Rae, our lives were difficult on a daily basis. You can't just run at the first sign of trouble."

"It's not just that—"

"It doesn't matter what it is," interrupted Beast Boy, raising his hand to her lips. "Do you think that I'm just going to run away from you because Slade is back?"

Raven's eyes looked away from him. He widened his own at the realisation and reached to turn her face towards him. Her lilac eyes shone with tears.

"You did. You actually thought I was going to leave you."

"It's not that simple!"

"Raven..."

"You didn't see what I saw!" shouted the empath, her eyes turning red all of a sudden. Her anger broke through for an instant. "You didn't see—"

She stopped herself and gasped, her lilac eyes returning. She held her head and burst into tears. The bed rattled as she sobbed.

"What? What did you see?"

She was sobbing, her long violet hair across her face. "I can't."

"Tell me what you saw," insisted Gar, his eyes filled with concern. "What did you see?"

Raven looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. He could see the pain in her face; it hurt him and made him feel physically sick. He reached out to her again, trying to reassure her that she could trust him. The words escaped her lips barely as a whisper.

"Terra. I saw Terra."


	30. Chapter 30 - Books and Enigmas

**Author's note:** **Hello to you all, faithful readers. I'm so sorry it's been a while since I updated, and I'd left you on a little cliff hanger too. No more cliffies, this chapter is a long one for you to make up for my absence. Thanks for all the kind reviews, I don't have time to respond to them all right now, but I wanted to thank you again for your continued support of my writing and my story. You're all so lovely. This chapter is where things are going to start heating up. Let me know what you think, and I'll update again soon, promise!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter thirty – Books and Enigmas**

For a few moments Beast Boy couldn't process her words. He blinked a few times and tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...I saw her. She was there with him."

"Terra was with Slade?"

"Yes," replied Raven, sniffing. She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Gar."

"That can't be right, there must be some kinda mistake. Terra is dead, she gave her life to save us, remember?" replied the changeling, looking confused. "Maybe the vision got muddled with your old memories or something."

"No," stated Raven, quietly. "They didn't. She was wearing another uniform. She had the SS logo on her shirt."

"You...you can't be serious," stammered the young man, turning his eyes away from her. He looked to be in shock. "She's _still_ working for him?"

"I don't know," admitted the empath. She flopped back onto her bed, frustration on her face. The changeling was eerily quiet, sitting next to her in silent contemplation. Raven bit her lip nervously. "Are you angry with me?"

He turned to look at her, his eyes full of confusion again. "Why would I be angry with you?"

"Because I saw your face. I saw the way you looked at me when you heard Slade's name. The way your emotions shifted to anger, sadness and worry," she conceded, her lilac eyes still full of anguish. "It's all my fault; you were blissfully unaware this morning when we woke up together after..."

She couldn't finish her sentence. The words wouldn't leave her lips. She pressed them together and stared at the ceiling. Beast Boy looked over at her with a sorrowful look in his eyes.

"Is that what you thought?"

"What?"

"You thought I was thinking about Terra?"

Raven nodded, her face still stained with tears. She ran her hands through her violet hair, playing with the strands nervously.

"Well, I wasn't thinking about her," Beast Boy replied, his voice gentle and kind. "At least not directly. I was thinking about how we'd already lost someone to Slade once. Honestly, I was worried about losing you, too."

"What?"

"You know how Slade is," growled the changeling, his eyes full of anger and hate. "He's evil, Rae. Pure evil. If he knew that we were together, then he'd exploit it. He could hurt you, and the thought of it was just making me go crazy. The Beast was clawing at my insides."

Garfield paused and clutched at his chest. "He wanted out. What you saw and felt earlier was me trying to keep control. Just like you were."

Raven realised her mistake in an instant, bringing her hand up to her face. Her mouth opened slightly as she processed his words. "Oh, Gar. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed..."

"It's okay," soothed Beast Boy, lying down next to her and running his hand up and down her arm. His eyes became sterner. "But we already had this conversation, Raven. I told you that what Terra and I had...it's over. I said I wouldn't leave you for her and I meant it. _You're_ the one I want to be with. You and only you. But you need to trust me."

"I do," whispered Raven, rolling onto her side and looking at him. "I just...I don't feel like I deserve this. Any of it."

"Well start believing it," replied the young green man, firmly. His gaze softened, and he gently brushed her hair away from her face. "Last night meant everything to me. It made me realise how I feel about you and...well, there's no going back from that."

Raven felt her heart picking up pace at his words. The earlier voice she heard in her mind was silenced. Everything was overtaken by her intense love for the young green changeling in front of her. She smiled; one of her rare genuine smiles. He reciprocated, his fangs poking out as they always did. She reached over, running her hands over his face and neck.

"I'll try harder," she said, quietly. "This means a lot to me, too. You mean a lot to me, Gar."

With that, she reached over and kissed him deeply. They sank into each other and tried to forget the impending danger that was facing them and their friends. In that moment, they could just be two normal people in love and nothing else mattered.

* * *

Garfield lay staring at the ceiling, as he heard Raven's breathing steady and slow as she fell asleep. His emerald eyes were filled with concern; thoughts and memories flying through his mind at an alarming rate. Trigon. Destruction. The Beast. Slade. _Terra_. She couldn't really be involved in all of this, could she? Despite his love for her burning away, he still found it hard to accept that she would be working with Slade after her sacrifice. Not of her own free will, anyway. Maybe the villain had some sway over her? Garfield bit his lip with his fang. But what about if she _was_ doing it out of choice? What if they had to face her? Hurt her? Was he truly able to do that? He wasn't sure. He was angry with her in some ways; for the decisions she had made, for the betrayal she had caused the team. But to hurt her...that was a big ask.

And what about Raven? What if Slade really hurt her? Could he really promise his teammates that the Beast wouldn't make an appearance? The primal instincts were always swimming around within him. He was in charge of them all, but occasionally in times of stress instinct had a tendency to take over. The Beast was dangerous, unpredictable. Beast Boy knew that, and he knew that he couldn't guarantee the safety of those around him when it took control. Raven getting hurt was almost always a catalyst. His care for her had always run deep. But now? Now they were together things were different. They were heightened. He felt the protective urges not for a friend but for a lover. A mate. The primal instincts would almost certainly take over if something bad happened to her.

The changeling sighed and looked sidelong at the woman lying next to him. She was breathing peacefully, unaware of his thoughts and feelings. Her pale face was outlined in the moonlight; her chakra gem gleaming red, her purple hair falling across her arms and chest. Her skin was unusually clear and had some sort of unearthly glow. Her eyes were closed, but he could visualise her shining lilac orbs that looked at him in so many ways. In anger. In jest. In sarcasm. In lust. In love. His own eyes softened, and he felt that now familiar warm feeling running over his chest. It was taking all of his self-restraint to stop himself from reaching out and touching her. She was everything to him, all he'd ever wanted and needed in the world. She was home. The one he'd been looking for, for so long.

Knowing there was no chance of sleeping in his present state of mind, he grabbed hold of his pyjama bottoms that had ended up staying in the empath's room of late. Standing up in the moonlight, he stretched out and looked over the bay briefly. The stars were out, and the moon was full. His eyes wandered to Raven's bookshelf, absently. She read so many books, and her passion for them was endearing to him somehow. He meandered over to look at some of the spines. There were ones which were in strange languages, ones which were brightly coloured, ones which were dull and faded. Ancient texts and manuscripts, presumably from Azarath. Then at the bottom, a section filled with her favourite stories; fairytales, fantasy, drama and romance.

Beast Boy smirked slightly at the last few titles; it was still amusing to him that Raven would read anything remotely romantic. Even now as her partner, he struggled to visualise her acting in that way. Or wanting _him_ to act in that way. His green fingers ran across the spines as he scanned the different titles. As his gaze landed on a familiar one, he stopped. _From Therapy with Love._ Where had he seen that before? His mind searched for a connection.

That's right. The day of Raven's accident. It was over six months ago, but it felt like only yesterday. He smiled at the strange memory and pulled the book out to take a look. The title was emblazoned across in a bizarre silver font. The cover was red but didn't appear to have any pictures. He frowned; this wasn't the kind of book he would ever choose in a bookstore. But clearly something about it had drawn Raven in. Sitting himself cross-legged on the floor he opened the book to the first page.

He froze. His eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was reading. Heart hammering, he began to flick through the book. The last page drew his eyes wide in fear again. It couldn't be. This didn't make any sense. Taking a deep breath to slow himself down, he turned back to the first page. There it was again. He closed his eyes and reopened them. Still there. He pinched his leg. Not dreaming.

Garfield looked over at the sleeping empath and sighed deeply. He didn't feel he could wake her when she looked so serene. There was only one thing for it. Beast Boy's brow furrowed. He needed to read the book.

* * *

Raven stirred in the bed, kicking her feet around under the sheets. Her lilac eyes opened, and she sat up in the bed as she noticed that the changeling wasn't lying next to her anymore. Her initial panic subsided when she saw him sitting on the floor of her room; cross-legged, shirtless and engrossed in something. She smiled, the sheets covering her still naked body.

"Well, there's a sight I thought I would never see," she began, sarcastically. Her eyebrow raised as Beast Boy looked up at her. "You are actually reading something without any pictures. Have I really had _that_ much of an impact on you?"

Garfield didn't smile, like Raven was expecting. Her expression quickly changed to one of concern. "Gar, what's wrong?"

"Rae," he said, quietly. "We need to talk."

The empath sat up further in the bed, pulling the sheets tightly around herself. This didn't sound good. She nodded silently, as the other Titan walked towards her with the book in his hand. He sat down next to her in the bed and looked over at her seriously. His emerald eyes were full of puzzlement. "Raven, where did you get this book?"

"I-I..." stammered the Azarathian, her own eyes now filled with confusion. That wasn't what she was expecting the young man to say, and it had caught her off guard. "T-the bookstore? In the City. Same one I always go to."

"Okay," nodded Beast Boy, the same serious expression on his face. "How did you pick out this one?"

"Well, I was walking down the different aisles and then I just noticed it sitting there," Raven stated, in her normal monotone voice. She tried to remember the day. Nothing special or unusual had happened. She shrugged. "It looked different. I just picked it up and bought it."

"Rae, this book..." began Garfield holding it aloft for a moment, then he stopped. He sighed deeply and put it down. "Maybe I need to explain a few things to you first."

Raven's face was full of concern and confusion and Beast Boy's actions, and the changeling suddenly noticed this. Remembering her trust issues, he took her hand to reassure her and gave her a small smile. "This isn't about us. It's about me. You know that I never talk much about my childhood."

"Yes," nodded Raven, still bemused by the conversation they were currently having. "None of us do really, Gar. It's just the way it's always been."

"Yeah. Well, I don't like talking about it because my real parents...they died. In Africa. I find it difficult to talk about them," acknowledged Garfield, his green eyes full of a sadness so deep that Raven feared she may fall into it. Her empathic abilities were swamped by the sadness and guilt that was radiating off him. She clutched his hand, unsure what else to do. He looked at her gratefully, before continuing. "So, I don't. Talk about them, I mean. But I need to tell you something now, to make you understand."

"What do you need to tell me?" asked the empath, still trying to understand what he was trying to tell her.

"Their names," the changeling responded, quietly. He looked down at their hands and closed his eyes. This was the hard part. "Marie and Mark Logan. That's what they were called."

Raven nodded, squeezing his hand again. She wanted to understand, but her mind was racing, trying to find an explanation as to why he was telling her all these things. "I see."

"Raven this book," continued Beast Boy, raising it again. "Look at the author."

Raven's eyes moved from his and down to the book in his hand. "From Therapy with Love by...M. Logan?"

"Yeah, but that's not the wild part," said Garfield, flicking through a page until he found a particular point. He handed the book to Raven and pointed at a paragraph. "Read, from there."

Raven looked at his piercing eyes and took a deep breath before looking down at the page. She read out loud. "George was about six-foot tall, with curly blonde hair and lightly tanned skin. He had large emerald eyes, with light freckles over his face. He carried a bag with him in one hand, dressed in simple veterinarian scrubs, with the logo "GL Vets" on the pocket."

The book fell out of her hand and down onto the bed. Realisation was all over her face. In an instant she knew what Beast Boy was driving at and it terrified her. Something fell on the other side of her room, and they both glanced over at it. She was shaking slightly in shock as she spoke. "Oh my God."

"Wait. You need to read more. Here," replied the young man, flicking through to another point then handing the book back to the empath slowly. His voice was firm and commanding. "Read."

Raven looked at him shakily but obliged, her hands and voice quaking in fear. "I was seen as one of the most experienced therapists in Jump City and yet Tara was proving to be one of the most difficult clients I had ever worked with."

She didn't drop the book this time. Instead, her eyes turned towards Gar and were filled with fear and bewilderment. "Tara. This is...the other world. How is this possible?"

"Well, my first thought was that you read this and then it was the last thing in your mind before the accident," suggested the changeling, tilting his head to the side. "Seemed logical. Until I noticed this."

He turned to the final page but didn't hand the book over to Raven. Instead he eyed her quizzically. "You never finished reading it, did you?"

Raven shook her head, her temples pounding as her heart raced. He looked at her grimly before handing her the book. On the final page was a dedication. "For R and G. Love always, ML."

"Yeah," nodded Beast Boy, as the book once more fell into Raven's lap. She sat back on the bed, her face drained of colour. Gar leaned back next to her, entwining their hands again and pulling her close. "Hey, you're the smart one, right? Figure this one out."

* * *

Several more months passed at the Tower, and everyone was busy trying to get themselves ready for their impending fights with the SS. Training became rigorous, with Robin expecting more and more of them each day. Recon was stressful and unproductive, with little more than scraps of clues showing up. They were waiting for the big break, that one thing that would lead them to where they needed to be. But as the weeks flicked on, it never came. So, they stayed, in a state of limbo. The Justice League appeared to be having similar luck, although they had managed to crack another of Raven's coded messages. Gorilla Grodd proved fairly easy to identify, following his dealings with Batman and Superman in a previous altercation with Lex Luthor. With another one ticked off the list the Titans felt initially optimistic. But even that had paled away with each passing day where nothing else was discovered.

Robin had become frustrated, his efforts seeming to be for nothing. He took it out on each Jump City villain, hitting twice as hard as usual. The others noticed but were too wary to say anything. It was better that than the alternative; obsession, being shut away, disconnecting from them. So far this hadn't happened, and the Titans were frightened to rock the boat as it felt he could easy tip over the edge. Starfire kept a close eye on everything he did, but even that put a strain on their relationship. Cyborg had heard them shouting at each other on more than one evening of late.

Raven and Beast Boy continued with their relationship, but the mystery of M. Logan continued to plague both of their minds. They'd decided not to share it with the others at present, until they were sure what was going on. Raven had tried everything she could think of to locate the publisher or find out where the book came from. But no one seemed to know. It appeared to be a one-off copy of a book that no one else had heard of. There were no barcodes, no printer's details. It was as though it had just 'appeared' from somewhere. Initially, Gar had felt excited that perhaps his mother or father were still alive somewhere. But after realising that it was highly unlikely and having hit multiple dead ends, the changeling became depressed with such thoughts. The empath was acutely aware of this and tried to comfort him as best as she could. The two were seated in ops on a bright spring day when the conversation rolled around again.

Beast Boy paused his game on the Gamestation and turned towards her. She glanced up from her book and raised her eyebrow, inviting him to tell her what was wrong. He sighed deeply.

"I've been thinking," he stated, his voice deep and low. "Maybe the whole M.L. thing is just a coincidence. You know, it _could_ be a popular name and the whole you 'visualising' it in your coma could be because it was the last thing you read. Maybe R&G are just the person's best friends or something."

"It could be," reasoned Raven, folding her legs and closing her book of spells with a thud. "But do you _really_ believe that? When do coincidences ever happen to the Titans?"

"Maybe," shrugged Garfield, defeated. His eyes fell down to his controller, which he squeezed between his fingers. "But this just doesn't seem to be leading anywhere. It seems like it just is what it is this time."

"Mm," responded the empath, in a non-committal way. She knew that this was a sensitive subject for the changeling, and she didn't want to cause him any further distress. She touched his arm gently, and he looked up at her. "I think we should just keep an open mind about it, Gar."

"You're probably right," conceded the young man, running a hand through his green hair. "Sorry it always brings me down, Rae."

"Don't be," smiled the lavender-haired woman, kindly. She squeezed his arm comfortingly. "I understand that memories from the past can be hard. We can talk about it whenever you feel you need to."

"Thanks," smiled the green shapeshifter, reaching over to gently give her a kiss. They broke apart as the alarm began to sound and both looked up towards the ceiling as the room was bathed in red. Garfield winced. "Uh-oh. Trouble."

Into the room ran the other three Titans, at full speed. Raven and Beast Boy got to their feet, throwing the controller and book down onto the couch as they did so.

"What's going on?" asked Raven, calmly. Robin pointed at the screen and they all turned towards it.

"Not our usual thing, Titans," stated the boy wonder, sighing deeply. "It's a natural disaster – an earthquake downtown has created chaos in the City. The Mayor has asked if we'll go down and help out. There are people stuck and the emergency services are struggling to get them out on their own."

The empath's eyes narrowed. She had a strange sense about this. It was like an itching inside her stomach, a gnawing pointed feeling. "Robin, I—"

"Later, Raven," interrupted the young man, shaking his head. "We need to get down there now to prevent further casualties. It's already up in the hundreds as it is."

Raven clamped her lips together in frustration, and Beast Boy touched her shoulder gently to calm her. Another side effect of Slade being back was the return of the boy wonder's blunt tongue. Starfire looked at Robin, concern in her eyes.

"Robin, what is the plan? How might we be of assistance to the citizens of the City?"

"You guys head down in the T-Car with Cy and I'll follow on the R-Cycle. We'll get close as we can. The vehicles might be useful to transport some people out of there if any of the buildings are unstable, so let's leave them at a safe distance where they can't be destroyed. When we get down there, Cyborg and I will be on the ground and you three in the air. Searching for survivors. If anyone needs help, then radio in and we'll be there to support."

He hung his head slightly. "I can't give more specific directions than that because I can't assess the situation until we get down there. All I know is that it was pretty bad and there are a lot of people who are hurt."

Cyborg turned on his heel and shouted over his shoulder. "No time like the present, guys. I'll get the T-Car fired up, meet me down there in 2 minutes."

Robin nodded and shot off after him, his words echoing around the room. "I'll get on the R-Cycle and head down. See you there. Titans, GO!"

Starfire nodded and flew after the two boys. Raven turned to Beast Boy as he was about to shift. She gripped his arm, her eyes filled with fear. "Something feels wrong, Gar. Please be careful."

He smiled at her and touched her face with his gloved hand, gently. "Promise."

With that he shifted to a cheetah and took off after the others. Raven clutched at her stomach, that strange feeling poking around there. She wished she could identify what it was, but there was a fear that came with it which felt overwhelming. Everything within her was telling her not to go forward with this mission, but she knew she had no choice. Eyes, ears and senses open, she transported her soul-self down to the garage and appeared in the car next to Beast Boy. He smiled at her again as he saw her apparate and grabbed her hand. Her sad eyes found him, and he looked at her with a mixture of reassurance and concern. With no time to speak or think further, Cy hit the gas and they zoomed off towards the broken city.

* * *

The scene as they arrived was one of complete disaster. The streets were lined with rubble, buildings in pieces and blood lined the rock. There were clothes, furniture and all kinds of personal effects strewn carelessly across the way. Civilians who remained were screaming or groaning in pain. Everyone was covered in dirt, some people limping and others gripping themselves in agony. Raven closed her eyes; the emotion pouring off them all was making her feel like she was drowning. She gasped for air involuntarily, and Starfire turned to look at her in concern.

"Friend, their pain," she said, quietly. "It hurts you also."

"I'm fine, Star," managed Raven, trying to remain calm. "It's just...a lot of distress in one concentrated place."

"Yeah, you said it," said Cyborg, his eyes scanning around the scene. "We ain't even in the heart of it yet. These are the people who got away."

"Oh man," groaned Beast Boy, running his hand through his hair. "Cy, we'd better stop here right, dude?"

The T-Car skidded to a halt and the four Titans exited the vehicle, the dust filling their lungs. Carnage surrounded them; without the safety of the T-Car bubble it felt much more real, more intense. Raven stumbled and gripped the car as another wave of distress hit her like a truck. The changeling's eyes looked at her in concern.

"Rae?"

"I'm fine," she reassured, trying a small smile. "Just...adjusting."

They slowly made their way towards the centre of the chaos, as Starfire grabbed her communicator from her pocket. "Robin, we have arrived and are awaiting your instructions please."

"Star," came his voice from the other end. "I've left the R-Cycle, I'm on foot. Currently helping some people out from a building. Spread out. Make sure to help anyone who needs it. If you need support, then shout."

"Maybe it would be useful to split up," suggested the Tameranean, looking at the others. They nodded in agreement. "Robin? You are in agreement?"

"Yeah, good call team," came the muffled voice. He was clearly busy. "Keep in touch."

With that the communicator clicked off. Starfire nodded to her comrades. They knew what they needed to do. Taking a deep breath, the princess took to the sky. "I shall head in this direction, you each take one of the other directions and I shall see you when we are done. Be careful, friends."

With that, she flew off at speed, a brief dust cloud rising behind her. Cyborg turned towards the other two. "I'm on foot y'all so I'll take this alleyway here. You two should head that way and split up."

They nodded, and all took off; Raven and Beast Boy heading in the opposite direction to Cy. They reached a cross road and the empath turned to look at her green companion. "Okay. You go that way, I'll go this way."

"Are you sure?" said the changeling, suddenly uncertain. "You seem distracted. Last time that happened you—"

"It _won't_ happen again," responded the Azarathian, fire in her eyes. "If I need you, I'll call. I promise."

The changeling nodded and gave her a brief hug. "I'll be there. Just say the word, Rae."

"Be careful, Gar," she whispered in his ear before they broke apart. A fleeting smile passed between them. Beast Boy shifted to a falcon and took off down the road. She watched him leave, that strange feeling still in her stomach. She took a deep breath and centred herself before levitating into the air.

"Come on, Raven," she told herself commandingly, out loud. "We have a job to do. People need you."

With that, she took off down the road. Her eyes scanned from building to building. She saw many survivors and supported them as best she could. Using black aura discs, she guided them down to the road and pointed them in the right direction to escape. It soon became apparent to the empath that the earthquake had passed. No further tremors had occurred in the hour she had been working to help the citizens escape. She wiped her brow, a smear of dirt across her face. Her communicator pinged.

"Rae, where are you? Me and Star are trying to get a big group out from up high and we could do with your help," came the familiar voice of Beast Boy. She smiled, relieved he was still okay. She pulled the communicator to her face.

"I'm on my way," she stated, in her normal monotone. "Give me a minute."

Taking to the sky, she sped towards their locators and saw the two of them trying to rescue a large group of people from a building which was crumbling away. She took a deep breath. This would be tough.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she shouted loudly, and all of the survivors were suddenly encased in black. Her eyes glowing white, she carefully lowered them all to the pavement. The aura disappeared, and she levitated herself to the ground, groaning a little at the exertion. Cheers erupted from the group, and they chanted the empaths name. She managed a small smile, as Beast Boy and Starfire landed at her side.

"Well done, friend!" exclaimed Starfire, happily. "You have done the good thing."

"Right," smiled Garfield, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Thanks for helping us out."

Suddenly there was a cracking above them, and the building started to collapse. The civilians began to scream, as debris started falling from above.

"STAR!" shouted Raven, taking her usual pose. "Grab the building, I've got the civilians. Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"

A black umbrella shape appeared above the crowd, shielding them as they moved away from the area. The empath ground her teeth, trying to hold the defence over them as they all made it to safety. Her eyes looked up towards Starfire, who was fighting with the building. The Tameranean let out an almighty yell as she shoved it away. It landed on the floor with a huge crash, sending dust flying up towards the heavens.

Starfire panted heavily as she lowered herself to the floor. Beast Boy was herding people out of the way, throwing debris out of their path in his gorilla form. He shifted back once they were safe and ran to the others.

"Guys, you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice. He was covered in dust; grime smearing his green skin. Raven nodded, and Starfire landed forcefully.

"I am the tired," she managed, her own beautiful face covered in dirt. "But I am glad no one is injured."

Raven's stomach clenched again and twisted. Something was about to happen, she just knew it. She took a breath and tried to calm herself. Suddenly a voice spoke from the crowd.

"Beast Boy?"

The three Titans turned towards the sound, as out of the dusty scene walked Terra. She was dressed in civilian clothes and was covered in dirt and grime as they all were. She looked dazed and confused. Raven narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists beneath her cloak.

Garfield's face was contorted in confusion. He squinted through the haze. "Terra?"

"It's me," said the blonde, her voice a bit wobbly. Starfire's mouth hung open in shock.

"Friend Terra!" she exclaimed brightly, moving towards the young woman and giving her a hug. "You were in the building, with the group?"

"Yeah," nodded the young woman, rubbing her head. She had aged into her beauty, but her blue eyes and long blonde hair remained the same. "I was...working here..."

"Working?" asked Raven, her voice cold. She tilted her head. "What is it that you do, exactly?"

Starfire looked at her friend and noticing the tone of her voice and she stepped back away from Terra. The blonde wrinkled her eyes at the empath.

"Raven?" she asked, sounding confused. "I was...I was there as a temp...I'm between jobs at the moment."

"Okay," stated Raven, her voice still cold. "Doing what _exactly_?"

"I was...I was..." stammered the young woman, holding her head. She groaned. "I'm so confused, I can't remember."

"Raven, I think she is concussed," added Star, tilting her head. "You are the okay, Terra?"

"I...I think so," Terra stated, tentatively. She was clutching at her head in a dramatic fashion that suggested otherwise. Raven's eyes narrowed again, and she stood up to her full height. Terra's eyes kept flicking to Beast Boy; it looked like she was trying to gauge his reaction. She spoke to him directly. "B-beast Boy, I can't believe you're here. It's so good to see you."

The changeling was looking at her strangely, but he managed to nod. "You too, I guess."

"I've missed you all so much," she added, touching Starfire lightly on the arm and smiling. The Tameranean returned the smile, but there was an unusual atmosphere in the air between them all. It felt thick and strained. Raven walked towards her and extended her hand.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt," the empath said, her voice it's normal monotone. Her pale fingers were extended, waiting for Terra to shake them in return. The others looked at the two as the geomancer weighed up the friendly offer. She looked Raven dead in the eyes and raised her hand to meet the empath's slowly.

"Thanks, Raven," the blonde woman smiled, her face filled with what appeared to be a genuine surprise at the kindness of the Azarathian. Their skin touched, and Raven let her demonic abilities free. She sensed the emotions flying off Terra in an instant; memories and feelings crashing over her at an overwhelming speed. Her lilac eyes turned white in an instant, and she encased the woman in her black aura. Terra's blue eyes immediately changed to fear and panic. "Hey...what are you doing? Let me out!"

"Friend Raven, what are you—"

"Star, she's lying," said Raven, her voice firm and steady. Her hand was aloft, holding the blonde woman in place. "She wasn't a victim of this earthquake. She caused it."

"Terra," gasped the Tameranean, her eyes widening in shock. They glowed green at the realisation of the devastation potentially caused by her former teammate. "Is this the true?"

"NO! I wouldn't' do that!" exclaimed Terra, her cobalt eyes filling with tears. She started to cry inside the bubble, sinking to her knees and covering her face. Raven held her ground, her voice filled with confidence.

"She's pretending, Starfire. _Don't_ listen to her."

Starfire bit her lip, her eyes returning to their normal jade colour. It was clear that she was torn. She wanted to believe her best friend, but the geomancer's actions appeared to be genuine and true. The Tameranean was aware of the history between the two women and wondered if this was colouring her friend's judgement. She was unsure who to believe, and looked between the two, conflicted.

"Rae," stated Garfield suddenly, touching Raven on the back of the shoulder. "Put her down."

"No," replied the empath, although her voice lost its earlier certainty for a moment. "She's dangerous, Beast Boy."

"Put her down," the changeling repeated, turning her face to look at him. "Please."

Her eyes returned to their normal lilac colour and she closed them. She could feel the tears pricking at her eyelids. He couldn't have chosen Terra over her, could he? She lowered her hand, and the blonde was placed down gently. She was still sobbing on the ground, looking terrified of the empath. Beast Boy released his grip on Raven's arm and turned to look at Terra, slowly. Raven's eyes watched him; his movements were slow and steady. She felt her heart beating so fast it threatened to explode from her chest. Her soul-self was itching to get out; rage was hammering inside her with pure hatred. She took a deep breath.

 _'I made a promise,'_ Raven told herself, trying to keep her powers under control. _'I promised to trust him. I promised I would try harder. I need to do that. For him. For Gar.'_

She swallowed, her throat dry and scratchy. It was like fighting against an indescribable itch within her. One false move and it would be there, ready to hurt Terra in an instant. She waited as patiently as she could, holding her cloak around herself with clutched fists. The green young man had reached the former Titan and was crouching down towards her.

"Terra, stand up," Beast Boy stated, his voice soft. He reached his hand out to pull her up. She responded, taking his hand and following his lead. She stood to her feet, still snuffling. He tilted her head up to his and looked in her eyes. "I want you to tell me the truth. What are you doing here?"

"I already told you...I-I was working, and the building collapsed and..."

"Dude, you're a geomancer," responded the changeling, quietly. "If the building was about to fall, why didn't you save all those people? You could have summoned a rock or a platform and got everyone to safety."

"I-I didn't think, I was so shocked, I-I..."

His green eyes met her blue ones, and he stared at her long and hard. She seemed to momentarily wither under his gaze. Terra raised her arms up and placed them around Beast Boy's neck.

"P-please, you _have_ to believe me. Beast Boy...I've missed you so much, I'm so glad to see you. Don't push me away; don't pretend like you haven't missed me too."

Starfire looked towards Raven; her teeth were gritted, and her eyes were steadily staring at the two. But she didn't move a muscle. It was as though she was frozen to the spot. Star's jade eyes narrowed, and she looked back towards the others slowly.

"I _did_ miss you," admitted Beast Boy, allowing a small smile. He raised his arms up towards hers. The geomancer smiled at him, her eyes glittering slightly. Garfield reached up and placed his hands on her arms softly. Then, with a sharp action, he pulled them away from his neck. "For a long time. But not anymore."

Terra's eyes widened in shock. That was the first genuine feeling Raven registered; astonishment. The blonde licked her lips anxiously before she spoke again. "W-what do you mean?"

"You're lying to us," replied the changeling, tilting his head to one side. "Look, I know once you cared about us. Maybe even cared about me. If any of that is still there in you, Terra, then tell us the truth."

Terra lowered her head, her hair falling over her face. Beast Boy saw her expression change into genuine sadness for a split second and then it was gone. When she raised her eyes again, there was no empathy to be seen. She gave a slight sneer. "Darn. I thought I had you all for a moment."

"Terra, you _were_ lying! Friend Raven was correct!" exclaimed Starfire, her eyes glowing that familiar unearthly green. Her anger was evident. "You did hurt all those people!"

Terra shrugged, placing her hands behind her back and tilting her head to one side. "They're only people. There are plenty more where those came from. You know what I don't get about the Titans? Why you all _care_ so much. These people would throw you to the dogs, if you gave them half a chance. They'd call you names; alien, freak, witch. Why would you give up your whole lives just to help people who don't _care_ about you?"

"Because it's the _right_ thing to do," snarled the empath, breaking her silence. Black tendrils were starting to swirl around her as her eyes glowed white. "Something you would know very little about."

"Oh dear," laughed Terra, placing her hand on her hip. "Did I strike a nerve? It's only the truth, _witch_. You're stupid to go against us, because in the end you're only ever going to be on one side."

Her eyes glowed yellow as she raised her hands. "The losing one."

"MOVE! CODE ZED-GAMMA!" shouted Raven, throwing Beast Boy aside with her energy as a large stone descended towards him. Starfire took to the air, whipping her communicator out of her pocket and screaming into it desperately as she flew into position.

"ROBIN, IT IS TERRA – SHE IS ATTACKING US! COME THE NOW!"

"What? Terra?" came the muffled response, as Star urgently shoved the communicator away. Her hands glowed green to match her eyes as her warrior spirit came to take over her gentle, alien persona. She roared as she flew towards the geomancer with anger written all over her face.

Terra dashed out of the way from the impending starbolts; she knew the team from the inside out. "Oh please, you guys are so predictable. Haven't you learned anything new?"

"A few things," whispered Raven as she apparated next to the young woman and tugged on her long hair hard. Terra screamed in pain and surprise, as she fell to the ground, momentarily stunned. Beast Boy had shifted into a large tiger and leapt on top of her, growling into her face heatedly. Raven stood over him, her eyes still glowing white. Starfire landed, her starbolts primed towards the blonde woman's face. Raven knew this wasn't over yet. Her voice was harsh and gravelly. "What do you want? Was this some kind of message?"

Terra spat up at the empath, her eyes filled with fury. "I'm not telling _you_ anything."

Robin and Cyborg arrived in time to hear her retort, skidding to a halt as they acknowledged the scene that was before them. Starfire noticed Robin's presence and flew over to him anxiously.

"Robin, it was Terra. She caused the earthquake, she tried to fool us into thinking she was the hurt but Raven—"

"Okay, Star," interrupted Robin, his voice soft despite his rudeness. He walked over to where the team were and unfurled his staff. He presented it to the geomancers face, a scarily calm look on his masked face. "Maybe you won't tell _her_. But you'll tell me."

"Oh, Robin!" yelped Terra, her face descending into her earlier deceit. Tears started rolling down her face again, as her voice became panicked. "Can't you see that they've gone insane? It's this witch, she's poisoned their minds against me! I didn't _do_ anything!"

Raven growled audibly at the allegation. Her eyes turned red and her voice became demonic. "Watch your tongue Terra, or I'll rip it out."

"See? She's insane," squealed Terra, appearing suddenly terrified of the empath. "Please Robin, I didn't do anything. I promise."

Robin narrowed his eyes at her. "Raven is neither insane nor a witch. If she says you're up to no good, then I take her at her word. Her word is worth more than yours. Perhaps you value yourself a little too highly in our estimations, Terra. We still haven't forgotten what happened all those years ago. But we thought you'd changed, after the sacrifice you made. I guess we were wrong."

Terra burst out laughing at the boy wonder's mini speech, the tears still fresh on her cheeks. It was maniacal somehow, and it made Starfire recoil slightly in surprise.

Cyborg raised his eyebrows at the outburst. "What in the world...?"

Beast Boy was still in his tiger form, snarling and bearing down on her. Her act was wearing thin with them all and simply diverting from the truth. Terra's eyes opened as her laughing ceased, and she stared up into the tiger's emerald eyes. She smiled sweetly.

"I couldn't even fool you, _my love_ ," she added, sarcastically. She tilted her head, her eyes flicking towards the empath's. "Or maybe you're someone _else's_ love, these days?"

The tiger let out a guttural snarl, placing its paws either side of her head and bending closely to her face in warning. Her blue eyes were hard; the deranged smile still plastered all over her face. She flicked her eyes to Robin.

"I'm here to send you a message, _friends_ ," she nodded, blowing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "It's quite simple really."

Suddenly, her eyes glowed yellow, as the earth began to quake again beneath them. As it rumbled, she flipped the changeling off her and rolled to the right. Skidding past Starfire's bolts and dodging a sonic cannon blast, black aura and birdarang that almost hit her, she landed on her knees and turned back towards the team. She smiled, her golden eyes glinting amidst the smoke and dust.

"Slade says hi. We'll be seeing you all _very_ soon."

With that, the ground raised beneath her, and she vanished into the cloud of smoke. The Titans coughed as the buildings around them started to collapse under the geomancers command.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" yelled Raven, encasing them all in a black bubble and transporting them to safety as everything began to disintegrate around them. As they all apparated, they tumbled over as the ground began to settle again. Raven groaned, her powers fully depleted after her efforts. Everyone scrambled to their feet and looked around to try and orientate themselves. They stood in silence for a while, watching the dust settling once again. There didn't seem to be too many words to say in that moment. Surprisingly, it was Raven who broke the silence.

"Thanks, Robin."

Everyone turned to look at the empath, as her words echoed around them. Robin raised his eyebrow, his face filled with confusion. "For what?"

"For sticking up for me," replied Raven, throwing her arms around him for a brief hug. "It means a lot that you took my word over hers, without question."

As she broke away from him, he looked at her with a bemused expression on his face. "Raven, we're family, remember?"

He looked over at the other three Titans, sternly. "All of us. That means we stick together. Remember what Batman said? The one strength we have against them is that we're a team. The closest kind. No matter what. That is one thing we have that they'll never understand."

The others all nodded and turned back towards the debris. Cyborg was tapping things into his arm, trying to locate the T-Car amidst the chaos. Robin wrapped his arm around Starfire's shoulder, and she nuzzled into him. They were whispering in hushed tones. Raven turned towards Beast Boy. His eyes were gazing over the city, a sad expression on his face.

"Hey," the Azarathian said, softly. She placed her hand on his arm gently. He didn't stir. "Are you...okay?"

"Not really," admitted the young man, sadly. Raven could feel the pain coming off him and it was making her cringe a little. He sighed deeply. "But I will be."

"I'm sorry," replied the empath, letting her hand fall to her side as she followed his gaze across the cityscape. "But when I touched her hand, I knew. I knew my vision was right, that her behaviour was an act."

Beast Boy nodded at her words but didn't offer any response. Raven sighed. "I know that doesn't make it any better."

"It doesn't," admitted the changeling. He turned towards her, his green eyes meeting her lilac ones. He offered her a small smile. "But thanks for trying. And thanks for trusting me, Rae."

"I made a promise," replied Raven, her eyes filling with tears. "I meant what I said."

"I know," nodded Garfield, his expression serious. His hand reached up and touched her face gently. "But I also know how angry you must have been at Terra."

"I was, and truthfully if she had hurt you, I would have probably killed her," admitted Raven, shrugging nonchalantly. There was a sarcastic glint in her eye as she smiled. "But that's what you get for dating a half-demon."

Garfield laughed, his eyes filling with tears and happiness at the same time. She always knew what to say. "God, I love you."

"I know you do," smiled Raven, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her own eyes were watery despite her happiness. He wrapped his arms around her in response. Her voice hushed to a whisper. "And I love you, too."


	31. Chapter 31 - Manhunters and Knights

**Author's note:** **Here I am with another update. I cannot believe that we have made it to Chapter 31! Thanks so much if you've stuck with me for this long. This is where things start to heat up, and hopefully this starts to tie up some loose ends. We're bringing in more of the JLA in this chapter too.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Spawry: I'm pretty evil with the suspenseful cliffies, I know! But I hope you're enjoying it anyway. Thanks so much for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. We've really been on a long journey with the Titans! :)**

 **Guest: ¡Mi español no es el mejor! Pero muchas gracias por su amable revisión. Espero que tu disfrutas el resto de la historia, ¡sigues diciendome lo que piensas!**

 **AWESOMEROCKSTAR101: Cool username! Thanks so much, I really appreciate your kind review, I really hope you enjoy this chapter :) Plenty more BBRae fluff before this story is out ;)**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own any characters from the DC Universe, including the Teen Titans.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-one – Manhunters and Knights**

Back at Titans Tower, the weary and downtrodden team walked into ops slowly. Raven paused in the doorway biting her lip as the others filtered past her. Everyone seemed to be in a daze, trying to process the events that had just occurred. The empath's eyes shifted across her friends; they were her family. They meant the world to her. She needed to be honest with them all and accept the consequences.

"Wait," she called, loudly. The four figures turned to face her, eyes filled with concern. The Azarathian pulled her hood down and strode into the room, coming to a stop in the centre of them all. "I need to say something."

"What is the matter, friend?" asked Starfire, her jade eyes shining with worry. She placed her hand on the empath's shoulder and looked into her lilac eyes. "Are you unwell?"

"I'm okay, Star," replied Raven, managing a small smile as she lowered her friend's arm away from her. "But I need to tell you all something. Something I should have told you before. The vision I had of Slade...Terra was part of it."

The room fell into a deathly silence. Raven was suddenly aware of the ticking of the clock in the distance. Her eyes shifted over to look at their leader. Robin was eying her coldly. The empath knew this was coming. She felt the disappointment and anger radiating off him in waves and took a deep breath. Her soul self was itching to get out as the negative emotions began to swirl within her. She repeated her mantra in her mind before addressing the boy wonder directly.

"Robin, I understand you're angry with me," she began, softly. "I don't blame you. But these visions are so muddled, I didn't know what the truth really was. I thought I was protecting you all from pain by reminding you of those distressing memories...but now I see that I was wrong. Somehow these visions are showing me the truth, and I should have told you that from the start. I won't make the same mistake again."

"Rae, you saw her workin' with Slade?" asked Cyborg, tilting his head to the side. His eyes narrowed. "Are you sure she was definitely with the SS?"

"Well, she was wearing a uniform with their logo, and she was with Slade in the vision," replied the empath, her usual monotone in full force. "But I didn't know for certain what was happening. She could have been being manipulated, or it could have been a fake image being projected. The point is I wasn't _sure,_ Cy. That's why I didn't tell any of you."

Raven didn't dare look over at Garfield. She knew that he was fully aware of all of this, but she didn't want to get him into trouble. It had been her decision not to tell Robin and she wanted to take full responsibility for her actions, despite the inevitable consequences. She glanced over at the dark-haired man again, slowly. His masked eyes were trained on the floor, a frown on his face.

"Robin, you have to believe me when I say that I thought the addition of Terra might tip you over the edge," Raven tried again, fiddling absently with her long lilac hair. "The mention of Slade was bad enough. Knowing how you've been in the past...I didn't want to risk harming your recon missions. Making your mind unstable. Putting you in danger. Please trust me, I did it with the best intentions."

"Friend, of course we believe you," reassured the Tameranean, wrapping her arm around Raven supportively. The empath eyed her warily but was secretly grateful of the compassionate contact. "We are just all in the shock."

"You _should_ have told us," came the steely voice of their leader, causing the whole team to look over at him. His eyes raised from their earlier position to meet hers. "You _should_ have been honest with me from the start. But that being said, I understand your reasons, and I respect your judgement."

"You...do?" asked Raven, feeling slightly shocked herself. Her eyes widened, and she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks at the compliment. Robin nodded and continued to speak.

"I do," he agreed, walking towards her. "You made a decision to take a risk to protect the team. To protect me. But you can't take risks like that anymore. This situation is _serious_ , Raven. These visions you are having have all been accurate in some way or another. Even if they aren't, I still need to know from now on. No matter what the consequences. That's an order."

Raven nodded, numbly. She understood that she was getting off with a slapped wrist this time. Next time the consequences would be more severe, she reasoned. Swallowing, the empath kept her voice calm and low. "Okay, I understand."

Robin nodded at her, his lips drawn into a thin line. "Thank you. I get the feeling that what happened today is just the beginning. With that in mind, I need to go and speak to Bruce in person. Today."

"I shall accompany you," said the princess, looping her arm into his. Robin's masked eyes widened at her actions.

"Starfire, you don't have to—"

"I _shall_ accompany you," repeated Starfire, defiantly. "Let us go at once. As you say, this is the important."

Robin nodded, reluctantly. Star had made her position clear; she was worried about him and had good reason to be. Raven wasn't wrong in her predictions; in fact, she was scarily accurate. The recent addition of Terra had pushed him towards madness. He could already feel himself getting closer to the edge again with every passing day. He turned towards the team, still encased in the Tameranean's vice like grip. "Star and I will go to Wayne Manor. You should all get some rest."

"Robin - wait," chipped in the empath, suddenly. The boy wonder turned towards her and noticed her eyes were gazing imploringly him. He raised his eyebrows quizzically. "Listen, I know I'm not in the good books right now, but I need a favour. Please can you ask Bruce if there is any chance that I could meet with J'onn J'onzz?"

"The Martian Manhunter?" asked Robin, surprised by the Azarathian's request. "Why would you need to see him?"

"These visions," replied the empath, her eyes shifting towards the window as she explored her thoughts. "I don't fully understand them. I know from my research and reading on the Justice League that J'onn is one of the most powerful psychic beings on Earth and an excellent detective too. I have the feeling he may be able to help me decipher what is going on. It may give me more control and understanding over what is happening somehow."

Raven paused and shifted her eyes back towards Robin's. "Robin, I want to use this gift to help the team. Whatever it takes. I know it's a long shot, but what other choice do we have?"

"Raven is the right," agreed Starfire, nodding vehemently. "We should be accessing all of the support we can. If Slade truly has returned and is fighting alongside Terra, we will be needing the help. Do you not agree?"

Robin considered both the female Titan's suggestions for a moment, and then nodded. "You're both right. It can't hurt for J'onn to take a look at the situation and lend a hand. Bruce did say that we were all working together on this one, so maybe we should do just that. Using reinforcements...it's the last thing Slade would expect."

"Right," added Cyborg, nodding. "Raven's got a point. We should be trying to work with them, usin' all the resources we have."

"Then it's agreed," confirmed their leader, starting to walk towards the door again. Starfire was hot on his heels. "Star and I will see Bruce and put forward your request for consideration by the JLA."

"Friends do be sure to rest," called back the Tameranean, in a maternal manner. She smiled briefly before following Robin out of the metal doors and down the corridor. Raven blew her hair out of her face, feeling a bit flustered. She pulled her hood back up and strode towards the kettle in silence.

Cyborg turned towards the couch to see Beast Boy sat there, looking out across the bay. The cybernetic man noted his best friend hadn't spoken once during the entire exchange that had just taken place. He walked over and sat down next to him gently. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah, I'm cool bro," replied the changeling, giving a small smile. He turned back towards the window as he spoke. "It's just been a weird kind of day."

"No kiddin'," replied Cyborg, stretching his arms above his head. He realised that his joints were sticking from the dust and grime he had waded through earlier that day. He sighed, checking his diagnostics on his arm; noticing all the red flashing warnings and grimacing. "I guess should probably go and get cleaned up. Will you be alright, B?"

"Of course, I'll be fine, dude!" confirmed the young green man, giving a toothy grin. His eyes became more serious as he saw his best friend's concerned expression. "I promise. Just need some time to think things through."

"Alright," nodded the cybernetic man, offering a small smile in return. He stood to his feet and began to walk towards the door. "I'll be back soon. Just goin' to get my joints back to full workin' order. Later, guys."

Raven nodded towards him and gave a small smile as he left the room. The steam from her tea mug hit her nose, and she felt calm seeping over her again. Her concerned lilac eyes shifted over to look at her green companion. She could feel the sadness pouring from him and she sighed deeply.

Walking across the room, she sat down next to him and placed her tea down. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," stated the changeling firmly, his eyes still staring across the water and towards the city. He sighed and turned his emerald eyes towards her, his tone softening slightly. "But I know I should. How could she do that, Rae? Hurt all those people?"

Raven shrugged, feeling defeated. She really didn't know the answer to that inescapable question. She turned her own eyes out towards the water, thoughtfully. "People change. She must have her reasons."

"Yeah, I guess so," conceded Garfield, his emerald eyes pricking with tears. "I just can't believe she would do that."

"No, I think it surprised us all," agreed the empath, turning back to look at him. She could see the tears in his eyes and felt some threatening her own violet orbs. "But we can't run from the truth. At some point...we will have to face her. Properly, next time."

"I know," sniffed the changeling, taking her hand tenderly. "That's what's been on my mind since we left the City."

"Mine too," admitted the empath, letting her pale fingers tighten around his gloved hand. "That's why I told Robin the truth."

"You didn't need to get yourself in trouble like that," replied Beast Boy, shaking his head. "It was all in the past...it wouldn't have helped now anyway."

"But it was the right thing to do," shrugged Raven, pulling her hood down again with her free hand. "I made a decision, I needed to face the consequences. Seeing J'onn J'onzz is imperative."

The changeling tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"The book," stated the empath, quietly. "I'm going to ask J'onn to take a look at it for us."

"Really? Why?"

"Because he might be able to tell us where it came from," reasoned the Azarathian, frowning. "I need to know if it was a coincidence or not. After today, I'm not taking any more chances."

"So...you still think it's more than a coincidence then? I know you said to keep an open mind this morning but—"

"This morning we hadn't seen Terra," replied Raven, quietly. Her amethyst eyes met his emerald ones and a connection passed between them. She frowned in a determined manner. "Gar, I _need_ to know. It's just something I have to do."

Garfield nodded, understanding her meaning. He bit his lip with his fang. "Should we tell Robin?"

"Not yet," responded the lilac-haired woman, letting go of his hand and reaching for her tea. She blew on the steam and took a sip. "I need to know whether it's important first."

Beast Boy looked aghast for a moment. " _Raven!_ You literally just said you'd tell him if anything else came up!"

"As soon as I know what we're dealing with then I will," nodded Raven, her eyes turning to meet his again. Garfield's face was filled with concern and confusion at her words. She smiled, reassuringly. "Don't worry, Gar. I'm the smart one, remember?"

* * *

The R-Cycle skidded to a halt outside the imposing front doors of Wayne Manor, and Robin pulled his helmet off sharply. Running a hand through his dark hair, he kicked the stand out and let the motorcycle rest on it gently. Starfire landed next to him, her jade eyes full of concern. He turned towards her, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I am the worried," responded the Tameranean, shrugging. She tried a small smile. "It is part of my role as your girlfriend, is it not?"

"Maybe," replied Robin, allowing a small smile back. He gently touched his gloved hand to Star's face and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "I'm fine. I just want to do what's best for the team. Seeing Terra today...hearing her say those things about Slade...it just makes it all real again."

"I understand," replied the princess, nuzzling her cheek into his hand and looking at him sadly. "It has been a difficult day for us all. But you _must_ remain the calm. If we are to beat Slade and Terra, we must keep our wits about us."

"You're right," sighed the boy wonder, his shoulders drooping slightly. The front door to the manor squeaked as it opened, and a familiar figure stepped out. Robin's eyes flicked to behind Star and his face lit up slightly. "Alfred!"

"Master Dick," came the response, well enunciated and precise. The butler stood to attention, a smile playing on his lips. "What a pleasure to see you, as always. Miss Starfire, you are most welcome."

"Hello, Alfred!" exclaimed the Tameranean, brightly. Her normal carefree attitude appeared to have returned momentarily. "How are you?"

"I am well, thank you," nodded Alfred politely, his dark eyes glinting. He turned towards Robin, slowly. "Master Bruce is expecting you, in the usual place."

The young man nodded and started towards the house abruptly. He knew where he needed to go. Before Starfire had time to register, he had disappeared into the house. She reached her hand out towards him. "Wait—"

"Perhaps I may accompany you, Miss Starfire?" interrupted Alfred, smiling. He held his hand out to direct her, and she nodded in response. The two entered the lavish entrance hall, and Alfred pushed the door closed behind them with a loud clunk. As they turned to walk, he gestured towards a long corridor. "This way, Miss. May I enquire as to your health?"

"Oh, it has been a most strange day, Alfred," replied Star, truthfully. Her jade eyes averted to the floor, as she began to pace beside the steward slowly. "Robin is very troubled."

"Yes, I see," acknowledged the butler, his shoes clicking on the well-polished floor. "Master Dick has always been emotional in such matters."

"Then you are aware of what has occurred?"

"Master Bruce does tend to keep me in the loop. I prove myself useful in many ways," smiled Alfred, his eyes glinting again. This time it was almost mischievous. His face softened again, as he spoke once more. "But I can see that it has also affected you most profoundly, Miss."

"Terra was our friend," shrugged Starfire, simply. She sighed deeply and turned her eyes down the corridor. "She betrayed us once, I never believed she would do it again. We were all so hurt by the events around her presence. I feel the pain of my friends. They are my family, since being away from Tameran."

"I see," responded the butler, kindly. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It can be difficult when we see those that we love suffering. But rest assured, Miss Starfire, that Master Bruce will support you in any way he can. What happened today in your City cannot go without consequence."

"No," agreed Starfire, her eyes glowing a threatening green. "It cannot."

"Here we are," stated Alfred, abruptly opening a door on their right. A piano sat in the room with a grandfather clock and other dark mahogany furniture. He closed the door behind them as Starfire glanced around.

"But...where are the others?"

"Ah, Miss Starfire," smiled the butler, his eyes glinting one final time. He passed over to the instrument and hit a few keys deftly. A secret door swung open next to them causing the princess to gasp in shock. "You above all people should know that things are rarely what they seem."

* * *

"This has made things incredibly complicated," came the deep voice of the Dark Knight, echoing around the batcave. Robin leaned back against the computer desk and sighed.

"That's an understatement, Bruce. The team's rattled. They're looking to me for advice, and I'm not sure I know what I'm doing anymore."

"Richard," replied Batman, his voice low and calm. "We both know that you have more than enough resources to support them all. Like everything, it's just a matter of working it out. We always work it out."

"But Terra and Slade...together again. Last time they nearly destroyed the whole City."

"They want more than the City," replied Bruce, turning towards the computer screens and tapping buttons. "Our recon on the SS shows that clearly. They're after complete world domination. It seems your old adversary has upped his game."

Robin's eyes narrowed beneath his mask. His voice oozed venom. "Slade."

Batman's eyes shot to the right upon hearing the tone of his companion's voice. He knew that this was getting under Robin's skin in a big way. Footsteps down the entrance into the cave made them both turn warily. Alfred and Starfire entered the room, and Bruce managed a small smile.

"Good to see you, Kori. Thanks for showing her the way, Alfred."

"It was my pleasure, Master Bruce. We all need a little push in the right direction from time to time," he replied, giving Starfire a knowing glance. "I will be upstairs if any of you require anything further."

With a small bow he turned and left the cave the way which they had arrived. Starfire looked at the two men awkwardly, feeling she was intruding in some way. Batman stood up from the desk and walked towards her.

"What do you make of this situation, Starfire?"

"W-well," stammered the young redheaded woman, surprised at being asked so directly. She clasped her hands together as she spoke. As always with the Tameranean, it came from the heart. "I am concerned for Robin. I think he works too hard to support us all and thinks little of his own wellbeing. I think that there are many personal connections between the Titans and both Slade and Terra. This has caused much upset and emotion which I believe will affect our judgement as a team. I am concerned about the combined strength of our two foes as the last time they caused much destruction."

She paused and took a deep breath, before looking the Dark Knight square in the face. Her voice became colder, her hands unclasping and resting at her sides. Her chin raised defiantly as she spoke. "I am hoping that the League of Justice will be able to offer us the support in our battles. But most of all I know that my friends and I will not go down without the fight. Terra and Slade must pay for the loss of innocent lives today in our City."

Batman's mouth drew into a small smirk at the corners at her show of boldness, and he turned back towards Robin slowly. "It appears that your companion has all the certainty in the team that you need. Kori is right. You need our help on this one. What do you suggest?"

Robin ran his hand through his hair smoothly and then spoke. "As you're fully aware, Raven keeps having these visions. She made a suggestion today that a meeting with J'onn J'onzz may be useful to try and understand them. Maybe there is something within them that might be useful to us in exploiting Slade or Terra's weaknesses."

Batman considered this for a moment, placing his hand on his chin slowly. "Hmm. Interesting. That could be a good idea."

He strode back over to his computers and began to type rapidly into the system. "J'onn is one of the most powerful beings I know, and an outstanding detective. If we could understand more about these visions, then maybe we could make better use of them. Raven doesn't seem to have much control at the moments. J'onn seems like a good first step. I've sent a communication to him, let's see where that leads."

Bruce Wayne turned back in his chair towards the two Titans, slowly. "I need time to think about the rest. It's been a lot to process today. It's late. you should stay over, and we can discuss this more tomorrow once a plan is clear in my mind. Alfred will make the necessary arrangements."

Starfire's eyes narrowed. Batman was always so business like about everything. So clinical. She could see why Robin had so much trouble connecting with his emotions. She didn't speak but turned her eyes towards him and waited for him to respond. Robin nodded in agreement. "You're right. We can talk more tomorrow. Come on, Star. I'll show you the way back upstairs."

Batman nodded and turned back towards the screens. He didn't speak to them as they left the cave, seemingly engrossed in his research. Star glanced at him. She'd seen that look before. That was Robin back in the Slade era. She turned her eyes back towards the dimmed corridor and then narrowed them. If it was the last thing she did, she vowed she would never let him go back to that dark place again.

* * *

"Okay, Robin," spoke Raven into her communicator. "See you tomorrow. Night."

She clicked it closed and looked back towards Garfield. They had both showered and were now relaxing in his room, with soft music playing. Each of them had been reading quietly when the communicator beeped. The changeling had taken to reading quietly with her lately, much to the empath's pleasure. She acknowledged that it wasn't as though he was reading magical tomes, but everyone had to start somewhere. He looked over the top of his graphic novel and arched an eyebrow at her. "What's going on, Rae?"

"Robin and Starfire are staying at Wayne Manor tonight. Batman is trying to organise things with the Justice League, so it makes little sense them travelling there and back twice. They'll come back tomorrow and report everything to us once it's all arranged. I'll message Cy and let him know."

Beast Boy nodded, as the empath began to type on her communicator. "So, what did the Bat say about J'onn J'onzz? Any news?"

Raven pressed send and then raised her eyes back to the shapeshifter's eager green ones. She smiled. "He's agreed for me to meet up with him, he's trying to set up the details. Let's just hope that the Martian Manhunter sees the value in our arrangement."

They lapsed into silence. The changeling looked down and then back up again, slowly. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"What?"

"When you meet up with J'onn," clarified Garfield slowly, his emerald eyes staring at her steadily. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Strange as it may seem, Raven was surprised by his question. She was so used being independent, so used not having anyone to rely on. Now, suddenly, he wanted to support her. To offer her the chance not to face things alone. She felt a warm sense spreading over her. "Thanks, Gar. Really. But I'll be fine. I think this is something I need to do alone."

He nodded again, smiling at her sweetly. "Okay. But if you change your mind you only have to say."

She gave him one of her rare genuine smiles. "Hey, you're making me blush. You'll be giving me a bad reputation. I'm meant to be a hard-ass, remember?"

"Ha _ha_ ," he grinned, sarcastically. Looking over towards the offending book, he grimaced. "What do you think J'onn will find?"

"I'm not sure," replied the Azarathian, shrugging. Her eyes followed his and landed on the silver font. "But I have the sense that it's going to be something important.


	32. Chapter 32 - Images and Revelations

**Author's note: I know, I know, I've been poor at updating. This adult life thing still is a struggle (even though I've been at it for a while) ;) But here is a chapter, as promised. I hope you're enjoying the twists and turns. I've got a few written already, so I will try to be more consistent with my updates. Thanks so much as always for your continued support and here is Chapter Thirty-Two.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Two – Images and Revelations**

When Starfire and Robin returned from Wayne Manor, they brought news which made the Tower's inhabitants feel more positive again. The Justice League had agreed to help; they would take over the recon for Slade and Terra and try to find out what their next move would be. Starfire's comments about Robin's state of mind had clearly been taken into account. It was agreed that once their intentions were discovered, the Titans would meet with the JLA to formulate a plan of action in how to defeat them and the rest of the SS. A few days had passed since their encounter with the Dark Knight, when Robin walked into ops with purpose. He looked towards the couch which housed the changeling and the cybernetic man deep in battle on their Gamestation. The familiar blue cloaked figure sat curled up at the end, deeply engrossed in her volume.

"Raven," he called loudly, across the room. The empath instantly closed her book and turned her eyes towards him. "I've had word from Batman. J'onn wants to meet with you. Today."

"Today?" repeated Raven, standing to her feet slowly. Pulling her hood up, she regained her composure quickly and she straightened her back as she spoke. "Where?"

"Bruce is sending you the coordinates," replied their leader, firmly. "You'll be expected there within the hour. The rest of you, playtime is over. It's time for today's practice sparring session."

With that, Robin turned on his heel and left the room. As the metal doors swished shut behind him, the others stood in his wake feeling a little stunned. The boy wonder had developed an all too familiar bluntness of late. Raven drew in a deep breath and turned towards Beast Boy and Cyborg.

"I'd better go and prepare. I'll see you both later," she stated in her monotone voice, her lilac eyes now filled with a semblance of composure. She smiled at them briefly, before turning to leave the room. The changeling jumped off the sofa in an instant and raced towards her, grabbing hold of her arm.

"Rae, _wait_ ," Garfield called, as she turned back to face him. His green eyes were filled with concern. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be okay," she reassured, giving him a very brief peck on the lips. Raven didn't do public displays of affection around the other Titans, and she was acutely aware of Cyborg's presence. She saw Beast Boy's disbelieving look and tilted his chin with her hand. "I promise, Gar."

"Okay," he conceded, his emerald eyes shining slightly. He didn't argue this time. "Be careful."

"I will," smiled Raven, moving away from him as she gave his hand a final squeeze. Attempting to lighten the tone, she turned and shot a parting comment to him, a sarcastic smile on her face. "Besides, it's you two who need to be careful. Robin's clearly on the warpath, and you have training with him in a few minutes. Good luck. You'll need it."

As she left the room, the truth within her words reached the young men's ears and they looked at each other warily.

"I _hate_ it when she's right," complained Beast Boy, as Cyborg nodded emphatically at him.

"Yeah. Trouble is man, she _usually_ is."

* * *

The coordinates arrived just as the boy wonder promised they would. Raven levitated from the roof of the Tower, giving a wistful look towards the training room as she left. Somehow, she had the feeling that she wasn't going to like what J'onn had to say. Clutching the book in her arms, she made her way across the City and landed outside of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. She opened her communicator and checked the coordinates a second time. Yes, this was definitely the place. Her violet eyes narrowed as she held the book in front of her like some kind of shield. Swallowing her nerves, she recited her mantra and strode bravely towards the entrance.

As she opened the door with an echoing squeak, a booming voice greeted her. "Hello, Raven. You have arrived right on time. As I expected you would."

"J'onn J'onzz?" replied the empath, staring around in the darkness. She reached out with her senses but could feel nothing. Strange. His lack of detectability unnerved her. "I can't see you."

"That is because I didn't want to be seen," replied the Martian Manhunter, as he phased through the floor and stood in front of her. She looked shocked at his sudden appearance but soon relaxed when she realised who it was. He smiled. "We meet at last, young one. It is my pleasure."

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," replied Raven, politely. She felt strangely humbled in his presence. She could sense his immense power and felt moved. "I'm grateful for your help."

"Think nothing of it," smiled J'onn, folding his arms behind his cape. "We are on the same side, after all. Now, tell me, what is it that I can assist you with?"

"Well, it's a number of things really," responded Raven, holding the book to her chest. She tilted her head. She paused nervously, biting her lip in thought. "Some of it is...uh...sensitive."

"Ah, you mean that young Robin is unaware of it," deciphered the Martian, his eyes crinkling. "Holding secrets from your team leader. Do you think that is wise?"

"I was hoping you would tell me," replied the empath, smiling wryly in return. J'onn laughed heartily at her response. He gestured towards her as he spoke, a smile on his pale green face.

"You are _most_ amusing, Raven. Very well. You may speak openly with me, young one. Firstly, tell me of these visions which Batman spoke of."

"They started after my coma," began Raven, relaxing her shoulders slightly. She hadn't realised how tensely she was standing. "I had an encounter with a being called Phobia."

"Yes, I am aware of her," replied J'onn, nodding solemnly. "She holds great power over the minds of others."

"Well luckily I was able to overcome her through unconventional means. But ever since, I've had these strange visions. They cripple me – they are like waking nightmares."

"Any significant physiological changes?"

"Other than my nose bleeding, not really. I always feel exhausted afterwards, I suppose."

"I understand," replied the Martian, cryptically. "Tell me what you see."

"It varies," replied Raven, uncertainly. She bit her lip in thought. "But they always seem to centre around villains or danger – the Secret Society and the like. More recently Slade. And Terra."

"The geomancer," acknowledged J'onn, rubbing his chin in thought. "Yes, she is most troublesome. I hear from Batman that you encountered her recently."

"If you mean when she almost destroyed the whole City and its inhabitants," glowered the empath, her eyes glowing red momentarily. She regained herself and took a deep breath. "Then yes."

"Such rage," responded the Martian, walking towards her slowly. "You hold much anger towards her. Why?"

"She hurt my friends," replied Raven, truthfully. Her eyes faltered for a moment. "They're my family. I don't tolerate betrayal well, I guess."

"Do any of us?" smiled the Martian Manhunter, knowingly. He placed his hand on her shoulder gently. "But it is more than that. You hold great love for the changeling. Beast Boy. She hurt him and therefore you in turn."

"How did you know that?" snapped the empath, suddenly defensive. Blood was pounding in her ears. She wondered if that was how her friends felt around her with her empathic abilities. She felt _invaded_ somehow. J'onn's tinkling laughter brought her back around from her intense thoughts.

"I am not reading your mind, young one. That particular fact would be evident even to the most amateur detective who ever witnessed the Titans together. Fortunately, I suspect he also returns your feelings. Correct?"

Raven nodded, numbly. She was unsure what else to do. She didn't feel able to lie to this supremely powerful being. Besides, she needed all the help that was offered to her. "That's the other reason I need your assistance, in truth. Beast Boy found this and he noticed something strange."

She held out the previously clasped item, offering it to the superhero. J'onn eyed it with surprise, reaching out and touching it gingerly. "What is this? A book?"

"Yes. One I bought from my local bookstore. But there's something strange about it."

"Interesting you would find something strange in a book."

"Believe me, you don't know the half of it," responded the Azarathian, sardonically. Pushing thoughts of Malchior firmly from her mind, she focused on the task at hand. She pointed at the spine. "You see the author's name?"

J'onn narrowed his eyes as he read the lettering. "M Logan?"

"Right," nodded Raven, folding her arms. "That's the initial and surname of both of Beast Boy's parents. Marie and Mark Logan. Then inside, flip to the final page. Look at the dedication."

" _For R and G. Love always, ML_ ," read J'onn out loud. He turned his eyes towards Raven. "This is significant to you?"

"R and G. Those are our initials of our given names," explained the empath, nervously. She tilted her head, her lilac eyes trained on the floor. "Raven and Garfield."

"Hmm, interesting," responded the Martian, his eyes gazing back at the book. He began to flick through the pages. "Anything else I should be aware of?"

"One more thing," shrugged Raven, her eyes moving back up to meet his. "The coma I was in held a very detailed dream world. The contents of the book correspond exactly to how the dream world appeared in my mind. But when I tried to research the author...it's impossible. There are no barcodes, no publisher's addresses. Nothing. This is the only known copy in existence. That's when I knew I needed to try a different approach. I needed you."

There was a silence between the two as J'onn considered her words. Raven spoke again into the silent air, addressing the elephant in the room. Or more appropriately, the bird. "Listen, J'onn; the reason I haven't told Robin is simple. I don't want to waste his time with silly frivolities that may prove useless. The team is under enough stress as it is. If this is important, I'll go to him right away. If it isn't, then I don't see the point in burdening him with coincidental nonsense. Understand?"

"Perfectly," nodded the Martian, a small glint in his dark eyes. He smiled at her. "You certainly know your mind don't you, young Raven?"

Raven nodded, her eyes filled with boldness all of a sudden. J'onn smiled again, reassuringly. "Rest easy. I will help you. You have my word that I will not mention the book or its contents to anyone at present. But if it is indeed important to the cause then we must approach both Batman and Robin at once. There is too much at stake here. Do we agree?"

"We do," nodded the empath, conceding a small smile. Gratitude and relief overwhelmed her for a brief moment. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome," replied the extra-terrestrial, as he turned the book over in his hands. He placed it away into a hidden pocket in his cape. "Now then. Let us talk about how to focus those visions."

* * *

Raven opened her eyes and readjusted to the darkness. She was still in the warehouse, the cold air blowing across her face. She saw the pale green being staring up at her inquisitively and levitated to the floor.

"That was _amazing_ ," breathed the empath, trying to regain her consciousness. "How did you do that?"

"Lots of practice and patience," smiled J'onn, his eyes twinkling in the half-light. "Did you notice any difference in your meditative state from my interference?"

"Yes, everything felt much clearer somehow," noted Raven, pulling her hood down and shaking her long lilac hair. "I felt more focused. More in control."

"Good," affirmed the Martian, folding his arms behind his back. "Then we are getting somewhere. Practice these techniques I have shown you daily. You will soon find that you have more control when another vision arrives."

"Thank you, J'onn," replied the young woman, a small smile on her pale face. "You've helped much more than I ever realised you would be able to be."

J'onn gave a small appreciative nod and pulled out the book. "Whilst you were in your trance like state, I gave some thought and psychic exploration to this book. I am by no means any closer to deciphering what is happening yet, but a name came to me very clearly."

"A name?" asked the empath, her eyes widening. "What was it?"

"Rina," said the extra-terrestrial slowly, holding the book aloft to the light. "It is a female name, I believe. But there is no mention of her anywhere within the book. It also does not match up with this M Logan of which you speak."

"Rina," repeated Raven, slowly. She narrowed her lilac eyes and shook her head. "It's not ringing any bells. I'll ask Beast Boy when I get back to the Tower."

"Please do," responded J'onn, putting the book safely away again. "In the meantime, I shall do more in depth investigations. We shall get to the bottom of this mystery together."

Raven gave another smile and pulled her hood up. "I should go back to the others. They'll be wondering where I am."

"Then I shall say goodbye," replied J'onn, placing his hand on her shoulder. Raven sensed his power suddenly, and then it vanished in a flash. It made her feel peaceful somehow. "But we will meet again. I will make contact with you with the necessary details. Now go."

Nodding, the empath gave one final small smile before turning towards the exit. She glanced over her shoulder, but the superhero had vanished into the darkness. Shaking her head, Raven turned and took to the air towards the Tower. It had been a strange day. So much had happened, yet one pervasive thought kept rotating around her mind.

 _'Who is Rina?'_

* * *

Of course, the changeling had no idea who Rina was either. Upon Raven's return he had furrowed his brow and chewed on his lip with his fang when presented with the information. Nothing was conjured up for either of them and so they were left to mull it over quietly for a month, until Raven's communicator suddenly pinged one day. It was a bright summers morning at around six when the chime awoke her, and she reached over for it blearily from her bed. Beast Boy shifted next to her and turned over, clearly still fighting to stay asleep. She rolled her eyes at him as she flicked the yellow case open, yawning widely.

 _We need to meet – the warehouse, as before. Be there in an hour. JJ_

Suddenly awake, Raven pushed herself upright in the bed, rereading the message for clarity. She looked towards her door, a tiny smile on her face. Her voice tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "He's found something."

"Hmmm, whassat?" came the sleepy voice next to her. She turned towards Garfield and leant down towards his ear.

"I said he's found something, dopey," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. He turned over to face her and rubbed his eyes, the reality of what she was saying dawning on him.

"J'onn?"

"Yes."

"He's found something?"

Raven rolled her eyes, exasperated. A conversation with the half-asleep changeling was challenging her patience. " _Yes_."

He wrinkled his nose upon hearing her tone and pushed himself up in the bed, resting against the headrest. "Do you need to go now?"

Raven nodded, silently. Beast Boy sighed heavily and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his neck, and felt his chest rising and falling next to her body. It comforted her, and she closed her eyes briefly.

"I hope it's good news," Garfield whispered, pecking her on the side of the head. He paused, as if thinking deeply. "You want to go alone, don't you?"

"Yes," replied the empath, simply. She turned so she could meet his emerald eyes. "It's for the best, Gar. J'onn and I can concentrate better when it's just the two of us. We need the peace and quiet."

"Okay, I get it," affirmed the changeling, quietly. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm soothingly. "But if you want me there just call me, alright?"

"Promise," smiled Raven, reaching her hand out to cup his face gently. "You know it means a lot that you want to protect me. But I don't need protecting."

"Sorry, it comes with the territory," grinned Garfield, goofily. A cheeky glint appeared in his eyes upon seeing Raven's disapproving look. "Hey, I can't help it if the Beast likes you."

"That so better have _not_ been a euphemism," replied Raven dryly, as she playfully poked his nose. He chuckled appreciatively, and then they lulled into silence. A moment passed before Raven spoke again. "Gar, I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"The future," replied the lilac-haired young woman, honestly. She bit her lip and played with her hair as she spoke. "My visions are clearer now, thanks to J'onn. I can see the horrors that are waiting out there. I know that this peaceful time is all just temporary."

"Everything is temporary, Rae," replied Beast Boy, gently. She shifted to look at him again. He smiled at her, moving her hair away from her face tenderly. "You're just having an existential crisis because for the first time in your life you have _something_ that you're scared of losing. Us. Your family."

Raven's eyes widened, and she raised her eyebrow. "An 'existential crisis'? Gar, have you been reading my books again?"

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head and grinned guiltily. "Maybe. But am I wrong?"

"No," conceded the empath, giving him a hug. She couldn't resist a friendly tease despite the sincerity of the conversation. "You're not wrong. For once. But I suppose even a broken clock is right twice a day."

"Charming as ever, Rae," replied Garfield jokingly, wrapping his arms around her. She snuggled back into him again as he spoke. "Look, I don't know what the future holds either, so I find it's best not to worry about it too much. Sometimes all you can do is live in the moment and know that if something does happen, you'll deal with it."

"That's...pretty good advice," admitted Raven, listening to his heartbeat and smiling. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I have to protect the Tower from your crazy fear responses somehow," laughed the changeling, light-heartedly. His temptation to playfully tease her was clearly also proving too strong to resist. "Now you'd better go and meet J'onn. I don't think he's the kind of dude who would appreciate you being late."

"Correct twice in one conversation. Are you sure I'm not still asleep?"

Beast Boy glared at her playfully before pinching her arm. The Azarathian let out a squeak, as he laughed. "Pretty sure."

Raven glowered at him threateningly and rubbed the sore patch on her arm. "Don't push it, you."

"Too late," chuckled the young man, reaching over to kiss her firmly on the lips. She let herself sink into it for a brief moment, before her rational mind took over. As they broke apart, she pushed herself off the bed and got dressed. As she fastened the clasp on her cloak, she turned back towards him. He was watching her with a silly smile on his face. Raven smirked and raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just beautiful. I like watching you."

Raven rolled her eyes at his cheesy sentiments, but she had a smile on her face and a light blush across her nose. "Ever the Casanova."

"Of course."

"I'd better go," she reaffirmed, reaching for her communicator and checking the time. Her voice sounded hurried; her usual calm tone absent. "I'll see you later on, okay?"

The changeling noticed her nuanced change and grabbed her arm. She stopped and turned back towards him in surprise as he spoke. "Raven? It's going to be fine, you know."

She couldn't help but smile reassuringly. "I know."


	33. Chapter 33 - Time and Space

**Author's note:** **Well, if you're still going then congratulations – here is a nice long chappie for you! I'm almost finished writing this story, but we've probably got a good few chapters left before the end. I'm aiming for around 40 chapters, so there's lots to do yet. Not sure how many people are still reading but please if you can take a moment to leave me a review, I'd be really grateful. Thanks to those who are reviewing, it means such a lot. I will keep going until the end – it's a labour of love at this point! Things hitch up from this chapter. You have been warned!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe, but I do own the Rina so please do not steal my characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Three – Time and Space**

J'onn J'onzz was already standing in the darkened warehouse room when Raven apparated next to him. She knew that it would be quicker than levitating, especially seeing as her conversation with Beast Boy had made her later than she anticipated. His face broke into a smile as he saw her appear.

"Ah, right on time. You received my message."

"I did," replied the empath, reaching up to pull her hood down as she moved towards the Martian. A silence fell across the room, laced with anticipation. Raven barely dared ask all of the questions on the tip of her tongue. She licked her lips nervously.

"You want to know everything," began J'onn, understandingly. "In time it will all become clear."

"Who is Rina?" managed the Azarathian, lifting her face up towards the man. Verbalising that question that had been perpetually in her mind for the past month felt strangely exciting to her.

"She is a powerful psychic," replied the extra-terrestrial, folding his arms in that now familiar way. "From the future."

Raven was stunned for a moment. "From the _future_?"

"Yes," replied J'onn, simply. "She is not from our time."

"So, she has somehow sent this book into the past?"

"It would seem so. Apparently, she was instructed to send the book to Jump City's bookstore."

"By whom?"

"She would not say. Her mind is quite well fortified, so I was unable to glean the relevant information by other means."

"You've made contact with her?" asked Raven, incredulously. "How?"

"It wasn't easy. I sense that she wanted to be found," answered the Martian, turning sideways and looking out of the warehouse's cracked window. "But there's more. She wishes to meet with you."

"Meet with me? How does she know who I am?"

"She did not say. But, somehow, she is aware of us all. She knew who I was before I revealed myself to her, which I can only assume means that she had an awareness of me before we made contact."

"I don't understand, J'onn," stated the empath, coldly. "How can I _meet_ with someone from the future?"

"There is a way," said J'onn, turning back towards her. His eyes were stern and severe; he appeared altogether different from the last time they met. Raven could even sense a tiny amount of concern, like a pinprick in her mind. "A dimensional portal to which you both may travel. I will be able to hold the connection open from our end for a brief time."

"Where will we be?"

"Between time and space," responded the superhero, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Nowhere, in a sense. And yet, somewhere else altogether."

"That's delightfully vague," responded Raven, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Her defences were high as she felt so uncertain. She scowled slightly. "Is it dangerous?"

"A little, but perhaps more for me than for you. It will be very draining for me to hold the portal open. You will have mere minutes together."

Raven considered his words. Something inside her was wrenching her to acquiesce, against her better judgement. She sighed. "Okay. When do we do it?"

"Right now," replied the Martian Manhunter, his eyes fixing on hers. It was clear he could sense her fear. "Do not be afraid, Raven. I won't let harm come to you. As long as you do as I say, you will be fine. You must trust me, young one."

Raven swallowed, holding her soul-self inside of her with all her might. She thought of Beast Boy's soothing words and took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's do it. Quickly, before I change my mind."

"As you wish," replied J'onn, turning towards the wall. He concentrated hard, his hands at his temples. Silence befell them for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I have made contact. She is ready and will open her portal to us. When you see the way open you must go. When it begins to shrink you must return. I do not wish to lose you between time and space."

"Yeah, let's not do that," quipped Raven, dryly. She took a deep breath and recited her mantra to steady herself. "Okay. I'm ready."

J'onn J'onzz nodded and turned towards the wall. In an instant, a large portal appeared, and Raven swallowed all of her fear before walking towards it and through into the purple mist beyond.

* * *

Blinking her lilac eyes, she looked around herself. It was dark, yet she seemed to be somehow bathed in light. There wasn't anyone else in her visual field. She reached out with her senses. Nothing. "Hello?"

"Hello, Raven."

"I don't see you."

"No," replied the voice. "But I see you."

"Who are you?"

"Rina," came the response. "My name is Rina."

"Rina," repeated the empath, nodding in acknowledgement. "J'onn told me of you. What do you want with me?"

"I needed to speak with you, to make you understand what danger is facing you."

"The Secret Society?"

"Yes," came Rina's distant voice. "They are strong. Stronger than you and the rest of the Titans or the JLA are prepared for."

Realisation suddenly dawned on Raven, like a hammer hitting her in the chest. "It's you. You've been the one sending me the visions. How?"

"We've always had a special connection, you and I. You just don't realise it yet."

"We have never met before, Rina," reasoned the empath, coldly. Her voice was practically dripping with ice. "How can we _possibly_ have a connection?"

There was a pause. "It's difficult to explain."

"Try me."

"We haven't met in your time; but in the future we know each other extremely well. In fact, it was you who trained me to fine tune my psychic abilities."

Raven folded her arms. She didn't like the vagueness that the disembodied voice was spouting. She wanted answers, and now.

"The book," she tried, her voice still staying low. "Tell me about the book."

"You were meant to see it. You needed to dream about George and Tara."

"Why?"

Another pause. "Ouroboros. I cannot say more. It's difficult to explain."

"Funny, a lot of this seems difficult for you to explain," came the frustrated response from the Azarathian. "Yet you've brought me to this place. There must be something you want to tell me."

"I do. I want to tell you to be careful. Slade will kill one of the team. It is written. Only you can prevent it from happening."

Raven's eyes widened, her heart pounding in her chest all of a sudden. "No. I don't believe you. It won't happen. It can't."

"It does and it will happen, unless you stop it," came Rina's voice, sounding firm. "You must listen to me, Raven. When you see the flash come, trust your instincts when the others run."

"Riddles, seriously?"

"Don't run. Use your instincts. If you don't then one of the Titans _will_ die in battle with Slade."

Raven's heart was threatening to hammer out of her chest. She couldn't get the vision of the dead body of the changeling out of her mind's eye. But Raven knew her time was short; she could see the portal beginning to shrink. She hurried to understand some more mysteries that faced her. "Rina, why did you write the book under the name M. Logan?"

"Because I needed Beast Boy to notice it."

"Because of his parents?"

"Exactly."

"I see. So, you used a fake name to entice him into reading the book so that I would go and see J'onn and then make contact with you. So that you could warn me about the death of the team member and then I would be able to prevent it," replied Raven, speaking quickly. Rina's voice tinkled with laughter as she spoke again.

"Very clever. You're right about every point except for one."

Raven's eyes narrowed. She was certain that would be right. Where was she mistaken? Her brow furrowed, she shot her frustrated response out sharply. "What do you mean? What was wrong?"

"It's not a fake name," replied the voice, quietly. Raven was now completely confused, and she could feel the frustration boiling inside of her.

"You _just_ told me your name is Rina," growled the empath, her demonic side threatening to make an appearance. The portal was shrinking ever smaller. Time was running out. "Now you're telling me your name is M. Logan?"

"No. Well yes."

"Look, spit it out. What are you trying to tell me?"

"My first name is Rina. But my full name is Rina Marie Logan."

Raven felt her pounding heart skip a beat. Her voice caught in her throat. "Rina...Marie... _Logan_?"

"Yes," came the voice, sounding quieter still. Rina's portal was clearly about to close too. Their time was coming to an end.

"You're...related to Garfield?"

"Yes," came the response again, followed by silence. It could have only been a few moments, but for Raven it lasted a lifetime. "I'm his daughter."

Raven couldn't find her words. The portal was fading. Gar had a daughter? Her thoughts were racing.

"His _daughter_?" she managed, still struggling to speak. Suddenly a white light appeared in her eyeline. She saw a young woman standing before her, dressed in black. That familiar fanged smile, those elfin ears. But what surprised her most were the vibrant lilac eyes that stared back at her. It was like looking in a mirror. She knew in an instant. Rina spoke once more, no longer merely an incorporeal voice but a person in her own right. "Hello, mother."

"Oh my God," stammered Raven, her hand lifting to her face in shock. "How can you be...are we...did you—I don't—"

"There isn't time," interrupted Rina, shaking her long lilac hair out of her face. "You need to get back through the portal before it closes. As do I. Otherwise we will be lost to our respective times."

Raven felt tears pricking her eyes. Her daughter. _Her_ daughter. It didn't seem real. Was this some kind of trick? She knew how this worked; such information about the future shouldn't have been divulged to her otherwise it could affect what occurred in her time. She felt sudden panic. "Rina, if you really are our daughter...you shouldn't have told me. You risk ruining the future."

"I know," replied the young woman, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "But it's okay. I'm already with you."

"You mean I'm—"

"Yes," replied Rina, nodding. Suddenly and uncharacteristically, she gave the most Garfield-like cheesy grin that Raven had ever seen. It made her head reel to see this strange amalgamation of them both. Rina laughed at her reaction. " _Surprise!_ "

Raven didn't know what to say. She took a deep breath and glanced towards the portal. A sudden maternal twinge swirled within her. She wrung her hands awkwardly as she spoke. "Well. In the future...are you...I mean...are you okay?"

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. You've taught me well," smiled Rina, looking touched by Raven's concern. "But you _must_ listen to what I've said. Save the Titans. They need you more than I do right now. Don't worry, I'll be seeing you in the future."

Raven nodded, numbly. This was all too much for her to process. She started to move towards the portal. The maternal twinge hit her again. Turning to see the young woman one last time she gave a small awkward wave. "Goodbye, Rina."

As she walked through the portal, she heard those two resonant words that she would never forget. "Goodbye, Mom."

* * *

As the Azarathian emerged from the portal it shrank in double time and vanished with a flash. Raven collapsed on the floor and held herself tightly. J'onn rushed over to her side, sweat beading at his temples. He was panting slightly at the effort of what he had just done. But concern lined his face now that the empath was safely back in their dimension.

"Raven, are you okay?" he asked, as he lifted her gently to her feet. Raven rubbed her chakra gem. She could feel the beginnings of a massive headache. J'onn immediately picked up on her state of mind. "She has told you some things which are troubling you."

"Just a bit," replied the empath, coldly. She couldn't believe what had just transpired. Feeling afraid and uncertain, she turned her eyes towards the Martian and sighed. "Sorry, J'onn. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Young one, you have heard things which have clouded your mind," soothed J'onn, as he motioned her towards a crumbled wall, where they could both sit down. "Please, rest a while. Then when you are ready, we may talk."

Doing as she was told, Raven sat down on the wall in silence. She began to process and commit all she had been told to memory. Rina was her daughter from the future. Garfield was Rina's father. Rina was a powerful psychic. She was sending the visions to Raven as warnings. She was trying to alert Raven of the impending death of one of the Titans. Only Raven would be able to prevent this death. The book. The riddle. Ouroboros. It all flashed through her mind in an instant and then was gone. Exhaling sharply, the empath looked over at J'onn who was sitting quietly next to her. She raised her eyebrow. "Did you get all of that?"

He nodded, confirming her assumption that he had been 'listening in'. Perhaps it was easier that way. "I hope you do not feel I have intruded within your personal space. I thought perhaps you were rather overwhelmed."

"It's okay," answered Raven, truthfully. She shifted in her seat. "I'm not sure that I wanted to say all of that out loud anyway."

"It is most certainly a lot to process," conceded the Martian, placing his arm on her shoulder supportively. "You have been very brave, young one."

Raven snorted at his assertion, despite herself. "Well I don't feel it."

"I wonder why it is that you are so hard on yourself?" questioned the extra-terrestrial, looking at her with some interest. "You are a young woman with so much promise, so much power. The power to do good. To help those who need it. Yet you act as though you are a wastrel, a scourge on those around you. A curse, you might say."

"It's what I was told. What I believed my whole life before I met the Titans," replied the empath, lowering her lilac eyes shamefully. "I'm the daughter of Trigon the Terrible. I was not just a person but a portal. The Gem. Destined to bring about the destruction of the world. That's not something that people take lightly."

"You are who you choose to be," countered J'onn, firmly. "Your past is only half of your story. Your future is what you make it. You have choice, Raven. Always."

"Not in this," sighed the Azarathian, her eyes looking back up at his. Her gaze was imploring and full of fear. "J'onn, Rina said that I'm pregnant. With her."

"I know," conceded the Martian Manhunter, releasing her arm and looking away into the darkness pensively. "I knew from the moment that you arrived today that you were with child. You are only a few weeks gone, but her presence is there."

Raven's eyes widened in shock. She was incredulous. "But you didn't _think_ to tell me?!"

"It would have been impolite for me to intrude, young one," replied J'onn, calmly. It was as though he could anticipate her impending anger. "I was not aware of the connection between you and Rina. For all I knew of it, you may have wanted this to be a secret. A surprise even. Who am I to judge you on your decisions, Raven?"

It made sense, in a strange way. The empath nodded, her long hair playing about her shoulders. Her anger began to recede, replaced by worry. "What am I going to do, J'onn?"

"We must tell the others," responded J'onn, turning his eyes back towards hers warily. "I'm sure this will displease you, but it was our agreement."

"I...I suppose it was," conceded Raven, her lilac eyes filling with tears. Pregnant. A Titan pregnant. It hadn't been all that long ago that she had turned twenty. Wasn't she too young to be a mother? That was her life gone, forever. Surely, she was going to be kicked out of the team. Lose her friends. Her home. Garfield would likely abandon her when he found out. Gar. Oh God. Everything began to swirl in her mind. Rocks and debris around the pair began to shake, encased in her dark energy. The already cracked window shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. The extra-terrestrial didn't flinch in the centre of the tornado of her feelings, his calm expression remaining stoically throughout. Raven suddenly reached over and grabbed J'onn's arm. "Wait. J'onn, please just give me a few hours. I need to tell Beast Boy first. It's only fair; he is the father after all."

The Martian considered her request. He sighed deeply. "I suppose you are right. A few hours then. Enough time for the two of you to speak this through before the others will know. But then...they must know. Everything."

"Everything," acknowledged the empath, nodding. "You have my word. You can tell them all and I won't stand in your way. But please, just give me a few hours first."

"Then it is agreed," smiled the extra-terrestrial, his gaze softening slightly. "Despite the circumstances I would wish you congratulations, young one. Rina seemed like a fine girl with unimaginable powers. I am certain you will be proud of her, in time."

Raven didn't respond. It was all to raw, too sudden for her to think about such things. She swallowed and stood shakily to her feet. She checked her communicator. It was a little after nine. The team would be gathering together soon. "I should go. The sooner the better."

"I understand," responded the Martian Manhunter, also raising to his feet. He tilted his head. "It has been good to get to know you better despite the unfortunate circumstances which we find ourselves in, young one. I wish you all the best. If you ever wish to speak with me again, you need not go through Batman. I think we comprehend one another well enough now. If you need help, just reach out."

Raven gave a small smile. She was grateful to the extra-terrestrial being for all of his help and support. Her soul self-wanted to destroy the whole building, but her sensible side knew that none of this was J'onn's fault. She suddenly felt the urge to share something with him. "You know the monks of Azarath told me that I would never be able to have a child. Because of my demonic side, they assured me I was barren. That I would never have a family of my own. I guess they were wrong."

"On many counts, it seems. As I said. The future is ours and ours alone," reiterated J'onn, returning her smile. He extended his hand and she took it. That peaceful feeling washed over her for an instant. As she released her grasp, tears had formed in her eyes again.

"Goodbye, J'onn."

* * *

Raven levitated at a very slow pace towards the Tower. She could have apparated but decided the flight would give her time to think. She sighed at her earlier deception of the Martian Manhunter. His kindness had been so genuine, it almost seemed cruel. The truth was difficult. A few hours were needed, but not for what she had expressed to J'onn. She had no intention of telling Garfield nor of being there when the rest of the team found out. She needed to get out of the City, before her powers harmed someone. With each passing minute her panic was rising. A child. There was no way she could do this. Until she had figured things out, she knew that she needed to leave. To keep them all safe, and the City's inhabitants too. But Rina's words swirled in her mind. If she left, then one of the Titans would inevitably die. Yet if she stayed then Raven feared they would all die. She couldn't take the risk of losing them all. Her decision was made. She needed to pause at the Tower to collect a few things before she left, then she would find a quiet place where she could hide for a while. Lie low, perhaps. The plan was set. Choices, J'onn said. They all had choices. This was hers.

Phasing through the wall into her room, the empath noted with much relief that the changeling was no longer there. Scrabbling around she found her old travelling rucksack and began to hastily fill it with various items. Most of the stuff could stay; the books, the furniture and the trinkets too. But her prized possessions from Azarath would always go with her, no matter where she was. Closing the buckle on her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and phased onto the roof. She wanted to see the view of the City one more time. To remind herself of why she needed to go. Taking a deep gulp of the summer's clear air, she fixed the bag over her shoulders properly and closed her eyes. She needed to prepare herself mentally for what she was about to do. The mantra left her lips in an instant.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

"Going somewhere?" came a voice from behind her, that made her leap out of her skin. In her haste, her powers had been forgotten and she hadn't scanned the roof to check the coast was clear. Exasperated with herself, she turned abruptly to see Garfield looking at her with a bemused expression on his face.

She looked at him questioningly. "What are you doing up here?"

"I was waiting for you to get back - to see how you got on with J'onn," he stated, in explanation. Upon seeing her pale, drawn face the changeling's emerald eyes immediately filled with concern. "Raven, what's going on?"

Raven swallowed. "Nothing, Gar. I just need to go away for a while. For the mission."

"You're lying," countered Beast Boy, wrinkling his nose and reaching towards her. She flinched away from him, hugging herself beneath her cloak protectively. He looked confused at her strange behaviour. "Rae, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"I can't. I need to go," replied the empath, her voice cold and low. "Now."

 _'You need to hurt him,'_ came that all too familiar voice from within her. _'Hurt him so that he will leave you alone. He's going to leave you in the end anyway, so why not sooner rather than later?'_

She hated that insecure voice, but right now it was the best plan she had. Raven swallowed again and blinked, trying to bring forth her best monotone act. "I'm leaving. It's over between us. We need to break up."

"What?" snorted the changeling, her performance leaving him incredulous. When her expression stayed calm and cold, he started to become fearful. "You don't mean that."

"I do," replied the young woman, raising her chin defiantly. "It's _over_. I don't love you anymore."

"Yes, you do," replied Garfield, equally as defiantly. His eyes were steely and pierced her lilac ones with ease. "You can't fool me, Rae. You're trying to push me away. Why? What's happened?"

Raven blinked hard, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes. Why was he always this stubbornly persistent? Why could he just never do as she said? Take her at face value? She shook her head, trying to maintain her act desperately. "I'm not lying. This is the truth."

"Raven, I know you think I'm stupid, but I'm not. I know you. Something has happened with J'onn and now you're scared and you're pushing me away," Beast Boy replied, taking a few more paces towards her. She took two back in response, inching towards the roof's edge. He continued to speak. "I won't let you do this. Remember what you said to me? No holding back. Not now, not ever. You can't just pick and choose when that applies."

The empath couldn't stop the tears that were now fully brimming in her violet eyes. The Tower creaked menacingly beneath them. He knew her too well. He could see through her like she was made of glass. This wasn't going to work. She needed to try something else. Plan B; pleading. "Gar, I _need_ to go. Trust me, you don't want to know this. Any of it. I don't need to ruin your life as well as mine."

"You could never ruin my life," reasoned the changeling, reaching his arm towards her again. It landed on her shoulder lightly. His voice was full of tenderness; it was washing over her as he spoke. "I _love_ you. Whatever's happened, we can get through it together. But you need to talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. Let me help you."

Raven considered his words. She weighed up her feelings. She weighed up the emotions that were pouring off him. She weighed up the small life that was forming inside of her. The risk was too great. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose Rina. She couldn't lose her friends. She couldn't hurt the civilians of Jump City. She needed to keep them all safe. This was the only way. Her eyes faltered and she looked down at the roof's cement floor. She reached up and brushed his hand away from her shoulder. Tears were leaking down her face. "I'm sorry."

Abruptly, Raven turned and lifted into the air preparing to get out of there fast. Suddenly, she felt a force on her ankle. She turned to see a green elephant, with its trunk wrapped firmly around her foot. Pulling was useless. She couldn't move. She was too upset to use her powers fully without endangering the whole tower. Frustration lined her face as she looked down at her green companion. "Garfield Logan, let me go! Right _now!_ "

The elephant shook its head. She tugged desperately trying to get free, but with an overwhelming force it yanked her back down. Raven was sobbing as she fell towards the roof at speed. Shifting quickly to his human form again, the changeling caught hold of her and held her to his chest as she cried. He rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm not letting you go, Rae. Not now, not ever."

"You don't want to know. You'll leave me when you know," wept the empath, as the aerials and ducts around them creaked and cracked. Neither of them seemed to notice the chaos that was about to occur if she continued. "This isn't what we wanted. What we needed. But I can't change it. All I can do is leave and protect you. All of you."

Beast Boy spoke with a desperation in his voice. "Raven, you need to trust me. Trust all of us. We have to make our own decisions about whatever is going on. We're a team, remember? That means we have to talk things through as a team. You're making this decision alone. You're guessing what we're all thinking, what we're all going to do. Give us a chance to think for ourselves. To tell you what we really feel. You might be an empath, Rae. But we all know you aren't a psychic. And neither am I. You need to tell me what's going on. Right now."

He pulled her away from him and tilted her chin so that their eyes locked. "Whatever it is, I won't leave you. I can promise you that much. We'll work through it somehow-"

"I'm pregnant," blurted Raven, suddenly. Her cheeks became red, her soul-self storming around inside of her as her panic rose. Everything creaked and groaned around them, rattling and churning with her power. Garfield's hand dropped from her chin, his mouth following suit soon after.

"You're what?"

"Pregnant," replied the empath, closing her eyes as a few more tears leaked out. The truth tumbled out of her mouth like a waterfall. "The person that wrote that book; Rina. She's our daughter from the future."

Beast Boy's face paled. He looked as though he was going to pass out from the shock of what he was being told. "Our d-daughter?"

"Yes, our daughter," replied Raven, quietly. It still sounded strange coming out of her mouth. "She's been the one sending the visions. She was trying to protect us. Slade will kill one of the Titans if I don't do something at exactly the right moment, and she wanted to stop that from happening."

"Wow, dude," managed the changeling, rubbing the back of his head. He gave his signature goofy grin, in a clear attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "Well, that is a lot to take on at once."

" _Tell_ me about it," shot back Raven, her usual sarcastic demeanour making a brief appearance. She sighed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Look Gar, it's best that I leave. We both know that my powers will become more unpredictable as I go through this and I might hurt you or one of the others. It's too much of a risk."

"But you just said that Rina told you that you need to stay with the team or one of us will die," countered the changeling, his emerald eyes becoming serious all of a sudden. "If you leave then that might happen. Isn't that a risk as well?"

"If I stay there might not be a team to save," replied the young woman, shaking her lilac hair out of her eyes and sniffling. "I can't let that happen."

"It won't," reassured Beast Boy, holding her close again. "I won't let it. The Titans won't let it. We can make this work."

"How, Gar? You've just turned nineteen and I'm scarcely twenty. We're barely adults. You think we can raise a daughter? We can only just about look after ourselves. We've been together for less than a year; we aren't ready for this kind of commitment yet," replied Raven, her voice full of frustration and fear.

"But, like it or not, this is where we're at," countered the young man, firmly. "I'm not going to run away from this. From you. I meant what I said; you're the person I want to be with, Rae. Whatever it takes. We're both responsible for this. For her."

Raven's heart picked up pace. He was reacting differently from how she had assumed he would. His maturity was shining through that usually childish demeanour. She could see he was no longer that young 'Beast Boy' she once knew but instead had developed into a man. She swallowed. "I want to be with you too, Gar. You know how I feel. But we can't really make this work, can we?"

"Yes," nodded the changeling, smiling. "I think we can. We're already a family, right? We're just making it a little bigger."

Raven couldn't help but laugh at his simplistic thinking. "I think I'll be the only one getting bigger here."

"Maybe," conceded Beast Boy, a smile on his lips. He could sense she was teetering in her decision but was still unsure. "You still don't believe me, do you? How can I prove to you that I'll see this out? That I won't run away from you and Rina?"

"I don't know," conceded the empath, her hands shaking as she brushed her hair behind her ear. Her earlier decision had been made so solidly, she was struggling to step away from her plan. It still seemed like the most viable option, in her eyes. Raven looked at him sadly, then down at the ground. Beast Boy looked at her. Really looked at her. She was everything to him and now he was losing her. He could feel her slipping away. He knew in that moment what he needed to do. Grabbing both of her hands, he spoke to her in a hurried tone of voice.

"Marry me, Rae."

Raven laughed and looked up at him, the sadness still in her lilac eyes. "Very funny, Gar."

"I'm serious," he replied, his emerald eyes twinkling in the early morning sunshine. "Marry me."

"Oh my God, you _aren't_ joking," replied Raven, the colour draining from her already pale face. "Don't be ridiculous. We can't get married."

"Why not? You want commitment, right? We're both adults. We're expecting a child. We're in love. Why is it such a stupid idea?"

Raven was floored. She was completely dumbfounded by this whole situation. At six o'clock this morning she woke up next to her boyfriend, feeling stable and loved. Now she was pregnant and being proposed to in the most rushed and strange situation of her entire life. It felt too much. It was overwhelming. There was no possible way she could go through with something so spontaneous. So impulsive. Was there? She bit her lip. "I-I don't know..."

"You do. You know it makes sense, deep down. We're completely crazy. Everything about our relationship is crazy. It always has been! We're so opposite in almost every way. But it _works_. Somehow, we make sense and so does this. We could go right now, anywhere you want to go. Find a place and get married. Be a real family. You, me and Rina. Come on, Raven. Just say yes."

Something inside of her was pushing her to go. The same force that had pushed her to enter that portal. Rina. This was what was meant to happen. What needed to happen. Ouroboros. The word's meaning came to her in an instant. The snake eating its own tail. Infinity. The assimilation and integration of the opposite. The cycle of life. This same pattern would happen again and again. It was meant to happen. It was meant to be. So much for choice.

She swallowed, her nerves in her throat. "A-alright."

"Alright," repeated Garfield, a sudden look of excitement on his face. They were like night and day, even in this moment. It was an unconventional proposal, an unusual situation. But Raven couldn't help that overwhelming happiness that was suddenly nudging at her. A real family. For her. The cursed half-demon, who had never belonged. Never fitted in anywhere. It had to be too good to be true, didn't it? People like her didn't get happy endings. But here they were. Garfield rubbed his hands over her shoulders, breaking her thoughts. "Do the others know?"

"No," replied Raven, quietly. She felt shy all of a sudden but couldn't fathom why. "Only you and J'onn."

"Then let's go now, before they find out. It'll be easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission from birdy."

Beast Boy wasn't wrong. Raven knew how impetuous this all was; Robin would almost certainly disapprove. But if this was the only way to keep the team alive and together then it was the path, she knew she needed to walk. Ouroboros echoed in her mind's eye again. She nodded. "Where do we go?"

"Well...there's only one place for a wedding where no one asks questions, right?" replied Beast Boy, his eyebrow raised. Raven snorted. She couldn't help herself. It was all too ridiculous for words, yet here they were. Two fools in a stupid situation. Why not make it even more crazy?

"Vegas here we come."


	34. Chapter 34 - Honeys and Nuptials

**Author's note: Just want to say a huge thank you for the positive comments on the last chapter. I was nervous, truth be told, about the characters being too OOC but hey, it's a story. You're all so lovely. To all the guest reviewers – thank you so much. Sanzojoe: Thanks for your kind comments as always – I know it's such an up and down story! :) Hopefully all you faithful readers will enjoy my latest offering. Read, review and as always thank you for your support.**

 **Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Four – Honeys and Nuptials**

Starfire and Robin were in his room talking when the message came through.

"Robin, you know that I am most concerned about your behaviour of late," said the Tameranean princess, her jade eyes flashing. "You are the blunt with everyone, you are rude and sharp. You seem annoyed most of the time. Even with me."

The boy wonder sighed deeply upon hearing her words. He ran his hand through his hair. He knew that he had been difficult lately, but he couldn't help it. With each passing week Slade was getting deeper and deeper under his skin, despite his promises to the Tameranean. Terra's appearance had made things worse. Her words echoed around his head. _We'll be seeing you all very soon._ He felt as though he needed to be alert at all times in preparation for the impending battle that was facing them. But Starfire was right. His attitude had worsened of late. Even towards her.

"I'm sorry, Star. I don't mean to be this way. It's just getting to me."

"But Robin," tried the young woman, reaching for his hand. "You promised not to push us away. To push me away. I am worried that you are heading down the path of danger."

"It's like walking a tightrope," replied Robin, quietly. The irony was not lost on him. It was as though he was perpetually trapped in that circus in his mind. He shook his head to make the memories vanish. "We need to find Slade and Terra and stop them before it's too late."

"We shall. We shall bring them both to justice for what they have done," confirmed Star, her eyes glowing green. "But you must remain in control. You are not a machine. You are not...him."

"Him?" asked the dark-haired man, lost for a moment. He clicked what she meant and tilted his head to one side. "You mean Bruce?"

"Yes," nodded Starfire, her grip on his hand tightening as her eyes returned to their normal jade colour. They were wrinkled in concern. "I see why you are as you are when we are with him. But you are not Bruce, Richard. You never will be."

"It feels like I am sometimes," sighed the leader, his masked eyes narrowing. The dissociative feeling was only ever a moment away. "Like I could become him one day."

"You have outgrown him," replied Starfire, quietly. Robin turned to look at her, slightly shaken by the comment. She looked at him carefully before continuing. "You are needing to make your own path. You are growing out of being Robin."

Robin considered her words. She wasn't wrong. He'd felt it for some time. There was a change coming within him, he could feel it. "Yeah, you might be right."

"It is okay to let that part of your life go," added the princess, tilting her head to one side. She tapped the R on his chest gently. "You will always be you no matter what badge you wear on here."

The young man fell silent. Since he had been with the Titans, he had felt distant from that life he once led with Batman. He was an adult now, with his own choices and decisions ahead of him. He looked over at the Tameranean. She was so beautiful, and he knew that they could make a life together some day. But he needed to let go of his old life to make room for a new one. That was the difficult part. Being Robin was all Dick Grayson had ever known. His beeping communicator interrupted his thoughts. He cast his eyes to his pocket and then back to Starfire. She smiled reassuringly and released him from her grasp. He smiled back gratefully and took the device from his pocket deftly. His eyes flowed over the message and then widened in shock. Star looked at him in concern.

"What is the wrong?"

"Starfire," he managed eventually, raising his eyes up to hers and snapping the communicator closed. "Where's Raven?"

* * *

"I have checked the roof, her room and Beast Boy's room but she is not to be found," came the tinkling voice of the Tameranean as she flew into ops. The two male Titans turned to look at her. Robin sighed as she landed next to them, her hands clasped together. "Robin, I wish you would tell us what has happened."

"I'm not saying anything until we find Raven," replied Robin, shaking his head defiantly. "Cy, did you find any sign of her?"

"No, man. I checked the garage, the bay and even whizzed my baby down to the bookstore downtown but nada," answered the cybernetic man, tapping into his arm. "I've scanned the Tower. She ain't here, Rob. Nor is B."

"Where have they gone?" growled the leader, ire in his voice. Starfire knew that tone all too well. He wasn't just angry. He was worried. She knew it must be something important for her boyfriend to be behaving in this way. She looked at Cyborg and he met her eye. A knowing connection passed between them. This was bad. Really bad. Robin kicked the coffee table over in his frustration, which broke the other two from their thoughts. "Wherever they are we need to find them. NOW."

"Perhaps if you would just calm down for a moment then we might—"

"We've been looking for the last three hours," said Robin, his teeth grinding together. "They might not be coming back at all."

"You mean they've run away? Rob, man. B and Rae wouldn't just leave without sayin' goodbye. Leave all their stuff behind like that. How do you know they aren't having a day out or somethin'? It could be anything!" reasoned Cyborg, also trying to calm the situation down. "Gettin' angry about it isn't going to bring them back any quicker."

Robin bit his lip. If they only knew what he knew they would be acting differently. He sighed. Honestly, he acknowledged what Star and Cy were saying was right. His frustration was just getting the better of him. He slumped down onto the couch and put his head in his hands in a defeated manner. Starfire looked at Cyborg again, who shrugged in total confusion. She sighed and seated herself next to Robin, wrapping her arm around him kindly and patting his back.

"They will return friend, you shall see. Then all will be well, we can resolve whatever is troubling you. We must just...reconnect with them again."

Robin knew she meant reunite. But the word gave him a sudden spark. He and Raven's 'link'. They didn't use it often, but perhaps if he concentrated hard enough, he might be able to get through to her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Concentrating as hard as he could, he focused his mind and tried to put his message across to her.

 _"Raven, wherever you are. If you can hear me...it's Robin. Come back to the Tower. I know you're afraid, but I need to talk to you. Beast Boy too."_

He exhaled sharply and sat up on the couch. He opened his eyes to see Starfire and Cyborg looking at him in a strange way. He gave a half smile. "It's okay. I'm sure you're right, they'll be back soon."

* * *

The next day, there was still no sign of the pair. Robin had reached out with his extrasensory message several times but had received no response. The remaining Titans all sat in ops, talking in hushed voices. Emotions were running high.

"Okay, so _I'm_ startin' to get worried now too," began Cyborg, his voice quiet yet troubled. "Where in the _hell_ have those two gotten to? Without telling us too? Don't they think that we might worry? What if they've been hurt or worse?"

"Calm down, friend!" exclaimed Starfire, putting her hands up. She wanted to stop the endless barrage of questions. "Your imagination is running forth with you. They are not likely to have been kidnapped. Knowing friend Raven, she would give us some sign. Besides, to capture one is perhaps possible, to capture both...unlikely."

"Starfire's right. Knowing what I know, they haven't been captured. It's too much of a coincidence," added Robin, shaking his head. "Look, Raven doesn't want to see us. I'm certain that's what it is."

"And B?" asked Cyborg, full of questions. "Why would he just leave?"

"I have a theory, but I can't say," replied Robin, folding his arms. Cyborg's face flushed with anger, all of a sudden.

"Man, my best friend and my little sister go missin' and you won't even tell us what you know! We're supposed to be part of a team! We shouldn't be keepin' secrets, especially at a time like this!" ranted the cybernetic man, frantically. It was clear he was being rapidly overtaken by his worry. Starfire was desperately trying to soothe him as he waved his arms about. "They could be lyin' dead in a ditch and your stupid pride _still_ wouldn't allow you to tell us what the hell's goin' on!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked Robin, sounding defensive. He unfolded his arms and leant towards the man. "You think I wouldn't care if they were dead? Is that _really_ what you're saying, Cy?"

"All I can say is, you haven't been right since we saw Terra that day. Slade is gettin' inside your head again," roared Cy, his cybernetic eye flashing. "You've been actin' all weird again, and I don't like it. It's _just_ like it was with Red X. Hey, who knows? Maybe it's _you_ who's kidnapped them after all!"

"Seriously, man?!" thundered the boy wonder, standing to his feet. His face was now also flushed red, and he was wagging his finger in Cy's face like a teacher chiding a naughty school child. "You think that I would risk hurting any of you? If that's the case, then I don't know why I'm still here. Maybe if it was _me_ who was missing, you'd be happier."

"Friends, please," interrupted Starfire, tears in her eyes. But the boys were too riled up to even notice her speaking.

"You are so caught up in yourself, Rob," replied Cyborg, savagely. "Whenever Slade's name is mentioned it's like you become a different person. I've heard the way you've been speakin' to us all lately and we just put up with it. Even Star! She does nothin' but try to help you, and yet I've heard you arguing with her on more than one occasion this past week."

"That's _none_ of your business!" exclaimed Robin venomously, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask. "Our conversations are between us. You shouldn't have been eavesdropping in any case."

"Well _maybe_ if you don't want others to hear what you're saying, you should keep a _civil_ tongue in your mouth _,_ " sneered Cyborg petulantly, folding his arms and squaring up to their leader. This was getting out of control. Starfire tried to stand between them, but they just argued over her head. Insults were being hurled at the speed of sound, despite her despairing cries of protestation.

"Please! If you would just—"

"I know you'd dump us in a second if—"

"You don't know _anything_ , you cybernetic idiot—"

"You're callin' _me_ an idiot? You're the one who's—"

"Friends, will you stop shouting!"

"I'm not the one who—"

"Yes, you ARE! You—"

 **"ENOUGH. YOU WILL ALL BE QUIET,** ** _NOW_** **."**

All three Titans turned so fast that their necks almost snapped. Standing at the end of the room was a large cloaked being with four red eyes, shadowy tendrils shooting out from every side. The empath shrank down to her normal size as they all quietened down, looking frankly terrified by her demonic form. Her lilac orbs returned as she paced across ops towards them.

"Can you not have an adult conversation without it descending into utter _chaos_?" she growled, angrily. She rounded on Robin. "Look, I know you're angry with me for leaving with no explanation but that is not their fault. You should know better than to take it out on them. And you—"

She turned and pointed at Cyborg, her teeth gritted together. "You shouldn't be so hard on Robin. He tries his best to protect this team, but he's not perfect. None of us are. Screaming and shouting at him is pointless. And Starfire—"

Star made a startled sound like an injured kitten as her friend turned her steely gaze towards her. The Tameranean cowered slightly, as a disobedient child might. Raven's eyes softened and she smiled.

"Well done for trying to prevent them from destroying the Tower. But next time, don't be afraid to use some real _force._ It sounds to me like they needed it."

Star's face looked immediately relieved and she gripped the Azarathian in a bone-shattering hug. "Oh, friend Raven! You are the safe! We were most worried! Robin would not tell us anything about your disappearance."

"Is that so?" Raven responded, raising her eyebrow as she patted Star on the back. Robin's eyes met her own and gratitude passed between them for a moment. "I heard you calling me back, Robin. I was a bit caught up at the time, but I wanted to thank you for your concern. All of you."

Cyborg came over and grabbed her in a hug that lifted her off the floor. "Don't you _ever_ worry me like that again, little lady."

"Can't...breathe..."

Laughing, he plopped her down and looked around her. "Where's B? He with you? Don't tell me he's still missin'!"

"No, he's not missing," replied Raven, pulling her hood down slowly. "He'll be through in a moment. But I heard the yelling and came straight in."

"Raven," came Robin's voice, suddenly. It sounded colder than the others. She met his eyes and nodded. "We need to talk."

"Yes, we do. Sit down," said the empath, gesturing to their lounge. Everyone took their seats and she sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of them. "I'm sorry I disappeared without explanation and took Gar with me. There were some things that we needed to...sort out."

"So, I've heard," came the boy wonder's voice. He folded his arms like a disapproving parent and Raven rolled her eyes. She frowned at him before she spoke.

"Just how much do you know?"

"Batman sent me a message yesterday giving me the gist," said Robin, shaking his head. "But I want to hear it from you before I pass judgement."

"Right," replied Raven, a little concerned by the cryptic answer. If Batman was involved, then it probably wasn't portrayed in the best way. She took a deep breath as the changeling entered ops. Everyone turned to face him, and he blushed slightly.

"Hey, guys," he managed, walking over and standing by the couch. "How are you all doing?"

As he neared the couch, Cyborg smacked him upside the head and snorted at him. "Better for seein' that you're alive, green bean. You scared me half to death, man. Don't _ever_ disappear on me again."

Beast Boy cursed and rubbed the back of his head, gingerly. "I guess I deserved that."

Starfire flew over and landed an equally rough smack across his face. He rubbed his sore cheek as she unloaded a barrage of Tameranean phrases at him. He recognised the word _clorbag_ in amongst the fray and winced.

"Ouch, not a _clorbag_! Hey, Starfire, c'mon," Garfield whined, pleadingly. "Don't be mad with me. I didn't mean to worry you. Hey, did Raven get this kind of treatment?"

"No," replied the empath, slightly smugly. "They know I don't respond well to threats. _You_ on the other hand..."

"Hey!"

"Come and sit down," interrupted Raven, as he obligingly plopped down beside her on the floor. She gave him a serious look, and his emerald eyes changed. "We have some explaining to do."

Beast Boy nodded and turned back towards the group. "Right."

"So, the first thing to tell you is that the meetings with J'onn proved very useful," started Raven, carefully. "I'm more able to control my visions and see what is going on in greater detail. What's more, I know why I have been receiving them. Someone has been showing me snippets of the future. Or a potential version of the future, at least."

"Friend tell us all!" exclaimed Starfire, full of excitement at the news. "Was this being an ally or a foe?"

"An ally," replied Raven, her eyes meeting Gar's for a brief second. "Of sorts."

"What Raven means is they wanted to help us," added the young green man, helpfully. Raven nodded and continued to speak.

"Right. Beast Boy and I found this unusual book that I had picked up before my accident. It turned out to be a key part of all of this."

Seeing Robin's face changing to anger at more secrets, Raven put her hands in the air defensively. "Robin, we didn't think it was so intrinsically linked to the mission. Had we known then I would have come to you in a heartbeat. I meant what I said. No more secrets. That's why we're telling you now."

"This book Rae is talking about was written by this ally," explained Garfield, trying to shed some light on what was being said. "Dudes, she's not from our time. She's from the future."

"What? No way!" said Cyborg, shock all over his face. "So, how did you guys find out about her?"

"J'onn," replied Raven, simply. "Through his powers he was able to make psychic contact with her and arrange a meeting for us in a dimension between time and space."

"I'm not following," interrupted Robin, rubbing his chin. "How was this person aware of any of us? Do they know us in the future?"

"As it turns out, yes," shrugged Beast Boy, rubbing the back of his head. "They know us _pretty_ well..."

"We're getting to that," interjected Raven, elbowing the changeling in the ribs. He yelped with pain and she ignored him, turning back to the group. "The point is that J'onn arranged this meeting. He opened a portal so that I could meet with her. She is a powerful psychic."

"What is her name?" asked Starfire, curiously. She tilted her head; her jade eyes were glinting with inquisitiveness.

"Rina," said Raven, feeling suddenly strange as the words left her lips. This was it. It was real. She was sharing the existence of Rina with her friends. Gar noticed her change in pitch and reached for her hand. She looked at him gratefully before carrying on. "So, the portal was opened and J'onn instructed me that I would only have a few minutes with her. She shed some light on several concerns she had."

"Such as?" came the leader's voice again, eager to learn of anything that may help them.

"As it stands one of the Titans will die in battle with Slade," said Raven, quietly. "That's what Rina was trying to warn us about with her visions. But our future can be changed. According to her, I'm the one who needs to change it. I just don't know how yet."

There was a stunned silence. Robin leaned forward on the couch and pressed his hands together.

"Rina didn't elaborate as to how this would happen? Or who would be harmed?"

"No," answered the empath, sadly. "She was limited as to what she could tell me. The point is, I can stop it somehow. My guess is that whoever it is probably died in her time. She must be trying to prevent it from happening again."

"I see," replied Robin, quietly. It was clear from the fear radiating off him that he was worrying about Starfire's safety, Raven noted. She tried to give them all a reassuring smile.

"Don't think that I won't stop it, because I will," the Azarathian added, defiance in her voice. "Whatever it takes, I won't let harm come to any of you. Now that we know about it, we _will_ prevent it."

"We trust you, friend," replied Starfire, touching her best friend's hand. "But this is all rather startling."

"Well, I can't say I wasn't shocked too," admitted the empath, her cheeks glowing a little. "But that's not all Rina told me."

"There's more?" asked Cy, incredulous. "What the hell else could she have said?"

"Well, she told me who she was, for a start. Robin, you were asking about how she was aware of us," began Raven, taking a deep breath. Everyone was looking at her expectantly. Gar squeezed her hand imperceptibly. She knew he was right there with her. It gave her the courage to speak. "The answer is quite simple really. She's my daughter."

Another stunned silence hit the room.

"Your _what?"_ came Cy's incredulous response. He was so shocked he began to stammer. "Your d-daughter?!"

"Yes," said Raven, quietly. Her eyes averted to the floor. "Rina is my daughter, from the future."

"But...but..." stumbled Starfire, sounding bemused. "Then...you...are a...mother?"

"It would appear so," nodded Raven, her eyes still on the floor. "Does that surprise you all so much?"

"Yeah, a little bit," conceded the cybernetic man, running his hand over his bald head nervously. "I guess I didn't see that one comin'. Robin?"

Robin had been uncharacteristically quiet. He was sat back in his seat, his arms folded across himself, eyes lowered to the floor. Starfire gasped, her face contorted in utter astonishment and a little betrayal.

"Robin! You knew!"

Cyborg looked at her, then at Robin. The penny suddenly dropped. His silence, his strange behaviour. "Oh, man. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because it wasn't my place to," replied the boy wonder, slowly. His eyes raised to meet the empath's. An understanding passed between them for a second time. Raven nodded. Robin gave a small nod in return and then continued to speak. "Maybe you should tell them the rest."

"There is more?" asked Star, incredulously. She shifted her gaze back towards the empath, her eyes still wide. "Friend, you must tell us at once."

Cyborg nodded in agreement. Robin raised his eyebrow, anticipating what was about to happen. Raven let out a long, deep sigh. "Rina told me that 'she was already with me'. I asked J'onn about it and he told me that...I'm—well you see, I'm...I'm—"

"Raven is pregnant," said Beast Boy, placing his arm on her shoulder supportively. She met his gaze, her eyes full of gratitude. He gave her a small nod before turning towards the rest of the group. "Only a few weeks gone, but J'onn could tell that she is."

This time the stunned silence was so intense you could almost hear the tumbleweeds rolling through the other Titan's minds. Reality dawned on them.

"You are...with child?" came Starfire's clumsy response. Raven looked over at her best friend, shame written all over her face. She felt so embarrassed having this conversation with her friends, but she knew that the time for honesty had arrived. She nodded, numbly. Star's face shifted to one of intense happiness, and she rushed out of her seat to envelop the empath in another huge hug. "Do not be bashful, friend! This is wondrous news!"

"Umm..." began Raven, looking a little agitated at the physical contact. She looked past the Tameranean's fiery mane to see the other two Titans looking at her. It was mixed. Robin looked solemn, Cyborg looked torn between murder and happiness. She blinked at them. "So..."

"Congratulations?" tried Cy, unsure whether it was the right thing to say. The murderous big brother thoughts appeared to have passed. It seemed that he wanted to ask a question but wasn't certain how to phrase it. "Who is the...I mean to say who did you...the kid's parents...ummm—"

"Cy, it's cool," chipped in the changeling, a half smile on his face. "Rina is definitely mine. She's our daughter."

"Aside from the obvious reasons that would be the case," added Raven, through mouthfuls of Tameranean hair. "I saw her. There's no mistaking that she's Gar's daughter, believe me. Plus, she revealed to me that her surname was Logan."

"Logan, yeah," nodded Cyborg, starting to get a grasp on everything. His eyes met with the young green man's as recognition came into his human eye. His voice softened. "I remember now, man. Aw, you guys are kind of sweet. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm in complete shock but...y'all are adorable all the same. Congrats, guys."

Starfire finally released the poor empath from her grasp and held her at arm's length. She smiled deeply. "Friend, if there is anything I am able to do to assist...oh, I shall be the best _knorfka_ you would ever know!"

Robin still hadn't spoken. Beast Boy was looking over at him with curiosity. He looked angry with them, but the changeling couldn't yet fathom exactly why. He knew that it needed to be aired, though. He cleared his throat, trying to summon up some bravery to talk to their leader. "So, Robin. Hey. What do you make of all this?"

Robin turned his gaze towards the green shapeshifter and leaned forward in his chair. His face was stony and cold. "What do I make of it? Well, for a start you didn't come back here and tell me straight away what was going on. You didn't think about how concerned I would be hearing the news that Raven is pregnant, before finding out that the two of you had vanished for two days. And at a time when the team is going through the worst possible set of circumstances, the two of you were stupid enough to get into this situation. To be honest, part of me wants to throttle you both."

Raven opened her mouth to challenge him, but Beast Boy put his arm on her shoulder to quiet her. This needed to come out, it needed to be dealt with. Here and now. The changeling knew it would be painful, but they needed time to repair and heal together before their biggest challenge was faced. Robin took a deep breath and continued.

"Part of me is also happy for you both. When I tell you that I think of you both as part of my family, I'm being serious. I want nothing but the best for you. But my sensible side has questions. You're both so young. Is this the kind of commitment that you both want?"

Both Raven and Beast Boy nodded in unison. This surprised Robin, and he raised his eyebrow. It was almost as if they were expecting him to say that. He felt a strange twist in his gut that something was off, but he carried on regardless.

"Okay, and what about if this is just a fleeting thing? You two love each other, there's no doubt about that. But relationships are hard. They break down. You've only been together for a little over six months. Do you really think that you can make this work long term?"

Again, the couple nodded. Their faces both looked blank, firm and rehearsed somehow. It was like a united front. Starfire and Cyborg were looking between the two Titans and the leader as though they were watching a tennis match. Their heads swivelled back to Robin to see how he would respond. The boy wonder was well and truly floored by their performance. He expected Beast Boy to get angry and defensive. He expected Raven to get moody and storm out of the room. But they were both sitting calmly and maturely in front of him allaying all of his fears. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What's going on?" he asked, feeling suddenly very mistrustful. "You guys are taking this telling off far too well."

"Does it surprise you that Raven and I might _actually_ have talked things through before we came back to see you guys?" began the changeling, in a low and calm voice. "We might only be young adults Rob, but we are adults all the same. We're fully aware of the situation we're in, dude. We know what's at stake and we know what we both want."

Robin's eyes widened in surprise at the green shapeshifter's responsible answer to his question. Raven's voice cut into his thoughts.

"It took some time to process what we both wanted. What was best for Rina. I had other ideas to start with, but Gar talked me around. He said that we needed to work out what the best course of action was as a team. So here we are, ready to talk."

"We do need to work out what we do as a team," conceded Robin, approvingly. "And I'm glad that Beast Boy convinced you of that. But I'm talking about your _future_ here. Are you two really serious about this? About making a family together?"

"Deadly serious," said the changeling, taking Raven's hand once again. He looked over at her, slowly. "I guess it's time to tell them the final part of our story."

"I guess so," replied the empath, her eyes meeting his for a moment. There was a warm glow inside her as she turned back towards Robin. "I have a new name."

"A new...name?" said Robin, confused by her statement. He cocked his head to the side, his face contorted in complete bewilderment. "You're not Raven anymore?"

"No, I'm still Raven," replied the Azarathian, her mind flicking back to her conversation with Rina yesterday. Was that only yesterday? It seemed like a lifetime ago. "But my full name is Raven Logan."

"Oh. My. God. You guys got hitched!" exclaimed Cy, grasping the sentiment in a moment. Tears appeared in his human eye. "You eloped! Oh man, you're all grown up."

Raven smiled, a light blush over her nose. "Yeah, I guess we are."

"You are the married?" said Starfire, checking she had understood properly. When Raven nodded, she squealed excitedly. "Oh my goodness, once more I must give you a congratulatory hug!"

Raven found herself pressed back into Tameranean flesh, only this time the force sent them both flying backwards onto the floor. She couldn't help but lightly laugh, as Starfire began to giggle wildly at their accident. Garfield chuckled, and turned his eyes back towards Robin. A moment passed between the two men, but it wasn't what the changeling was expecting. He was expecting anger, resentment, wrath or at the very least mild ire. Instead he was met with a different look from their leader. Respect. Robin reached out his hand towards the green shapeshifter, a smile on his face.

"Congratulations both of you," he said, as though they had passed a test of some kind. Maybe in some way they had. Garfield laughed, and pushed Robin's hand to one side before grabbing him in a friendly hug. Robin was shocked at first but reciprocated for a brief moment, feeling unsure what else to do. The changeling moved back and looked him in the eye.

"Thanks, man," he said, a twinkle in his emerald orbs. "I want you to know that I'm serious about this. About her. Rina too. I won't let you down."

"I know," replied Robin, still smiling. "I'm happy for you both. I'll support you all the way."

"I know," echoed Beast Boy, clapping the boy wonder on the shoulder amicably. "But we need to talk about how things are going to work now that Raven's circumstances have...well...changed, I guess."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," smiled Robin, turning back towards the team. "Titans. Let's get to baby planning."


	35. Chapter 35 - Flashbacks and Family

**Author's note** **: I cannot thank you all enough for the kind support of my story. It's been a tough year for me and writing this has been keeping me sane. The story might seem 'nicey nice' right now, but of course it is the calm before the storm – it's still me writing it after all :) This is the final nice chapter before things may get more difficult, to tie up some lose ends - you've been warned!**

 **Some replies...**

 **Guest: Hopefully this chapter will explain some things! As I just explained, the story is far from done – drama ahead I promise. Thanks for reading and all the best.**

 **Azarath Cat: You're too kind – thank you very much! The name Rina in ancient Hebrew means 'joy'. Also, I really like the name! I think the names Arella, Marie and Mark as first names are overused in stories, so I wanted to try something different too (no shade on stories that use those names) :) I hope this answers your question and thank you for reading.**

 **Sanzojoe: Be as cheesy as you want, it's a lovely thought! I can't believe how far we've come – and I know you've been reading from the beginning so thank you very much for your ongoing support. Star didn't hit BB full pelt; if she had he would have gone through the wall! It was a warning shot ;)**

 **Right, on with the chapter – thank you all once again and I hope you enjoy the latest instalment.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe, or any songs by John Legend.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-five – Flashbacks and Family**

 _The previous day_

Raven pushed her holographic ring firmly onto her right hand as they emerged from her portal into Las Vegas. The lights were blinding for a moment, and she blinked to try and clear her vision. It was hot. Like stepping out of another dimension and into an oven. Her throat dried up and she wasn't sure if it was the weather or her nerves getting the better of her. She smoothed down her blue sundress, absently. Turning to her right, she saw a handsome young, blonde man blinking in the sunlight. His face was lightly freckled, and he had blue eyes. He was wearing dark suit trousers and a white shirt that was open at the neck. Noticing her looking at him, he grinned.

"Yeah! Vegas, baby!"

Raven raised her eyebrow and smirked. "No baby, remember Gar?"

"Sorry, I forgot," laughed Garfield, wrapping his arm around her warmly. His smile was more genuine, but his gaze was serious. "We really going to do this?"

Raven swallowed, the gritty feeling still in her throat. "It would appear so."

Beast Boy looked unrecognisable with his holoring on, and it was making the empath nervous for some reason. He picked up on her physiological changes and gave her a mischievous look. "What's wrong? Not used to seeing me looking so devilishly handsome?"

"You're always handsome," retorted the young woman, giving him a playful shove. "It's just strange us being so...normal."

As she spoke the last word, Raven caught sight of herself in a passing window on one of the many hotels they were walking past. The glass was dark, but her reflection shone back at her crisp and clear, and she nearly stumbled over onto the floor. The person looking back at her was oddly reminiscent of someone she'd seen before. Long dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin. She stopped dead and stared at herself in surprise.

"It's _you_. I-I mean me," Raven breathed, shakily. Garfield stopped and turned his attention towards the window pane. He saw her expression and became concerned.

"Of course it's you, Rae," he tried, gently. He rubbed her arm softly. "This is just the holoring's version of you. You've seen it before, have you forgotten? Cy made them for us a couple of years ago. We took photos with them on that day we went to the lake, remember?"

Raven felt her breath hitch in her throat. "T-the lake?"

Garfield gave her a quizzical look. "You've still not fully got your memory back, have you? Look, I'll show you!"

He pulled out his communicator and flipped through until a picture appeared on the screen. He handed it to Raven and her lilac eyes fell on the display. She felt her head swimming and gripped onto his arm to steady herself. _The vista._ There it was, plain as day. The picture George had taken at the vista of the two of them. Except it _wasn't_ George. It was definitely Beast Boy; or at least the version of himself that stood before her now. In the photo, he was holding the phone away from the two of them, his arm swept across her shoulder, his signature goofy grin on his face. The holoring version of Raven was smiling a little, a light blush on her cheeks, the wind blowing her long dark hair across her neck. It was _exactly_ as she remembered it from the dream world. But it wasn't from that time, and the truth was returning to her shattered mind. She remembered now; they all put their holorings on and went to the lake. Team bonding, Robin said. A chance to test out Cyborg's new tech. Raven blinked, the memories merging together. The pieces finally aligning.

"I...I..." tried the empath, feeling sucked back into the other world for a moment. She took a deep breath and recited her mantra, her soul self suddenly itching to shatter the glass before her. Her monotone voice returned for a moment. "I guess I'd forgotten."

"Well, they haven't had much use since that day," chuckled Gar, pulling at his blonde locks nervously. Raven handed the communicator back to him, still feeling shaken. He continued to speak as he took it gently from her hand. "But they're useful to keep in for unusual missions where we need to go undercover. Or, you know, eloping to Vegas."

Raven felt a laugh rise in her chest and she smiled at her companion, fondly. The strange atmosphere in her mind felt momentarily broken. "Idiot."

"Hey, the ring masks my looks _not_ my personality," beamed the changeling, kissing her on the cheek. Raven snorted and turned back towards the glass, pushing her dark hair away from her face. It was subsiding now; she could feel her normal-self returning once more. Her mind relaxed as she teased the changeling a final time.

"More's the pity."

Beast Boy snickered at her attempts at humour, and noted she was feeling better. He forgot that sometimes she could still get confused; it was easy to forget how gravely ill she had been only a short time ago. She seemed almost back to her usual self but in reality, there were still parts of her mind that were scattered. Gar couldn't blame her; she'd been through a lot. They both had. He looked at their reflection in the glass, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder thoughtfully. "Well, I think you look great. But I look _weird_."

"Well, this is how you would have looked if..." began Raven, trailing her sentence off awkwardly. The empath felt the twist in her stomach as his emotions hit her; sadness and guilt. Realising she'd made a mistake, she reached up and rubbed his arms gently. Noticing his slightly forlorn expression she tried a genuine smile and a tease. "For what it's worth, I prefer the real you. Besides, this you doesn't have the ears. Ladies 'dig' the ears, right?"

The empath reached her arm up and tickled his ear playfully. Seeing the smile return to Garfield's face she relaxed, and he squeezed her tightly. Raven shifted her eyes back towards the glass and focused on his face. George's memory still lingered. She wanted to share it with him. All of a sudden it was as though she felt _compelled_ to.

"You know, you look just like George when you're in this form," admitted the Azarathian, tilting her head so it rested on his, in a rare act of public affection. "Except for the eyes. His eyes were green."

"Ironic," commented Garfield, blowing his fringe out of his face. "My eyes _are_ green, it's only in this form they're blue."

"Exactly," replied Raven, knowingly. He gave her a strange look, but she didn't want to explain further. It all finally made sense in her mind. She could let it go at last. She kissed his hand and then turned to face him. "We should probably get going, Gar. I'm guessing right about now Robin is quite literally hopping mad."

Beast Boy gave an impish laugh. "Is it wrong that I kind of wish I was there to see his expression?"

"Yes," stated Raven, her eyes fixing on him sternly. But there was a small smile on her face. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Ah, now that would be telling. Wouldn't want you getting cold feet."

"I thought of the two of us _you_ would be more likely to get cold feet. Being amphibian and all."

"Ribbit," chortled Garfield, poking her nose as they started to walk again. "Hey, you know it _could_ be me who ends up running scared though."

Raven quirked her eyebrow, intrigued by his comment. "Oh really?"

"Yeah!" nodded the changeling, emphatically. He gave her another signature goofy grin. "Who knows what will happen when a half demon enters a chapel?"

* * *

"I'm _not_ going in there, Gar."

"Come on, Rae!" exclaimed Beast Boy, pleadingly. "It's the only place that would do it at short notice."

The empath folded her arms and glared at him menacingly. Even with her human appearance, she looked mildly terrifying. "You can't be serious."

"I know it doesn't happen often, let alone twice in one day, but I am!"

"Garfield Logan, if you think I am getting married in a place called "The Cosy Chapel" then you have _another thing coming,_ " growled the Azarathian, barely masking her red eyes beneath the holoring.

"Who cares what it's called!" exclaimed the young man, shrugging. "It's the _meaning_ that matters, right Rae?"

People were filtering past them on the busy street, looking at them strangely as they argued. Raven considered his statement for a few moments and wrinkled her nose. "Hmm, maybe. But I still wish that I had a window to throw you out of."

"I'm going to put that down to the hormones," smiled Garfield, pecking Raven on her cheek as she pouted at him. "Come on, Raven. It's going to be fine. I promise."

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. How had her life reached this point again? Getting married in a cheesy, horrible venue in _Vegas_ of all places. Never in a million years would she have envisaged this being where she would end up. The empath turned to look at the open, smiling face of the man she loved and sighed. Beast Boy was somehow managing to do the puppy dog eyes in human form and without use of his powers. She massaged her temples soothingly as she spoke. "Fine. But if you ever tell _anyone_ about this, I swear I will send you to another dimension."

"I promise!"

"A horrible dimension. Full of darkness and despair."

Garfield rolled his eyes. "Is there any other kind?"

"Oh, believe me Gar, you don't know the _half_ of it," grumbled Raven ominously, unfolding her arms but keeping her fists clenched. "You had just better hope that it's better on the inside than it is on the outside, for your sake."

"Well, maybe it is a bit..." the changeling paused, looking up at the neon signs that were flashing audaciously at them. There were pink hearts that were lit up all around the door, and a smaller sign on the door that said: " _Come on in for everlasting heavenly happiness!"_. He cringed. "Over the top?"

"Understatement of the century," sighed the empath, pushing the door open in a resigned way. "Come on, before I change my mind."

Beast Boy didn't try to argue. Years of being friends with Raven told him that he was somehow getting a pass on this ridiculous situation. The changeling was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially not an angry, pregnant, demonic gift horse. In his experience, they were the worst kind to look in the mouth. Or to look at any other part of really. Averting his eyes graciously, he skipped past her and into the chapel without another word.

* * *

Raven and Beast Boy stood at the tacky alter, waiting patiently for the vicar to arrive. Apparently, he'd had to disappear for his ritual break; a slang term for the fact he wanted a cigarette around the back. Raven was tapping her foot anxiously against the hardwood floor. She shot a glare across to the changeling.

"How did I let you talk me into this again?"

"Um, was it my dashing good looks?"

"Well it certainly wasn't your way with words," grumbled Raven, but she was slightly amused. The whole situation was quite funny, if looked at through the right lens. "Did they say what music they were going to play?"

"I told them to pick something appropriate out," shrugged Beast Boy, looking equally torn between laughter and exasperation. "Maybe you're right, maybe this was a stupid idea."

"No, it's not," sighed Raven, looking at the floor then back up at him. She knew she'd been giving him a hard time since they arrived. "It's the right thing. Somewhere deep inside of me, I know that it is. I love you, Gar."

Beast Boy practically radiated happiness as he beamed back at her. "So, you're _not_ mad?"

"Not really," shrugged Raven, smiling wryly. "I'm used to you after all these years. I would expect no less than for you to irritate me, even on our wedding day."

Garfield burst into laughter and held her hands. "I love you too, Rae. I'm sorry for the way things worked out. This wasn't how I had pictured this in my mind."

"You've pictured us getting _married_?" asked Raven, in disbelief. Beast Boy shrugged, looking a little pink in the face.

"Well, yeah," he admitted, reluctantly. "I may have thought about it. On a few occasions."

"Wow," managed Raven, unable to mask her surprise. "I...I didn't realise you'd been having those thoughts already."

"I realised pretty early on how serious my feelings for you were. We've been friends for so long that it was like jumping the first few years of a relationship and ending up in the deep end right from the start. You know what I mean?"

Raven considered his words for a moment. "Yes, I think I know what you mean."

"After the first night we spent together I knew," smiled Beast Boy, his holographically blue eyes locking onto hers. "I knew you were 'the one'. Cheesy as it sounds, it's the truth. The words don't matter; however you want to frame it, I just knew then that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Since that moment, it just all made sense to me somehow."

Raven could feel her heart picking up so much pace it was throbbing in her ears. The room seemed to tune out, and all she could see were his eyes. All she could feel was the intensity of the love radiating off him. She felt completely overwhelmed by the whole experience. Suddenly, her own eyes closed in pain.

 _"Raven, wherever you are. If you can hear me...it's Robin. Come back to the Tower. I know you're afraid, but I need to talk to you. Beast Boy too."_

Beast Boy looked at her in concern as she gripped her head in her hands. "R-Rae?!"

"I'm okay," she breathed, panting slightly. "It's not a vision. It's Robin. He knows and he wants to talk to us."

Garfield's face immediately changed to one of concern. "Okay. Whatever he says, we face it together. No matter what it is."

"Gar, I think he'll understand," said Raven, quietly. "You all give him a hard time but when the chips are down, Robin always does the right thing. He cares about us, you know."

"I—"

Beast Boy's response was cut off by the sudden music that started to pipe through the airways. Clearly the venerable vicar was done with his cigarettes and was heading back in. As the chosen song started up, they both looked towards the end of the chapel expectantly.

 _What would I do without your smart mouth,_

 _Drawing me in, and you kicking me out,_

 _Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down._

Their eyes met and Garfield let out a smile. There couldn't be a more perfect song for this moment.

 _What's going on in that beautiful mind,_

 _I'm on your magical mystery ride,_

 _And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright._

The vicar began to descend down the short aisle towards them and the alter by which they stood. Raven was listening to the lyrics intently, trying to distract herself from blowing up the podium with her nervous energy.

 _My head's under water,_ _  
_ _But I'm breathing fine,_ _  
_ _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind._

"Well that's true," she muttered under her breath. With his sensitive hearing, the changeling heard her sentiments and laughed slightly causing the vicar to look at them both strangely. Within a moment they had both cracked. They started to giggle like teenagers again, as they caught one another's eyes.

 _Cause all of me,_ _  
_ _Loves all of you,_ _  
_ _Love your curves and all your edges,_ _  
_ _All your perfect imperfections._ _  
_ _Give your all to me,_ _  
_ _I'll give my all to you,_ _  
_ _You're my end and my beginning,_ _  
_ _Even when I lose, I'm winning._

 _'Cause I give you all, all of me,_ _  
_ _And you give me all, all of you._

The music faded away as the vicar cleared his throat and ruffled the paperwork before him. Raven gripped Garfield's hands nervously. "Well, here goes nothing."

* * *

 _Present day_

There was a lot of chatter in ops following the disclosure made by Raven and Beast Boy. Starfire was moving her arms animatedly as she spoke, Cyborg guffawing with laughter. They had been discussing how to manage Raven's pregnancy for a while but had become distracted by insignificant conversation. Suddenly, a voice cut through the others; calm and collected.

"Guys, thanks for all your input and ideas but you can all head off for a while now. I need to speak to Raven. Alone."

The eyes of the other four Titans turned towards their leader as he spoke. Robin's words had cut through the jovial atmosphere like a knife. It sounded more like an order than a suggestion. Cyborg was the first to make a move.

"Alright then, I'll go and shine my baby. Been neglectin' her lately anyway," he said with a strained laugh, as he hastily left the room. Starfire stood to her feet.

"I shall go and feed Silkie. Friend Beast Boy, perhaps you would care to join me?"

Beast Boy looked between Starfire and Raven for a moment, seemingly unsure about what to do. The empath raised her eyebrows and moved her lilac orbs towards the Tameranean. Her body language seemed relaxed, and Beast Boy knew that it was okay for him to leave. Giving a small nod, the changeling stood to his feet. "Sure Star, let's go."

The two left the room, and as the doors swished shut an eerie silence was left behind them. The anticipation in the room was palpable. Raven turned her eyes back towards Robin, and he noticed that they were filled with something he didn't often see in the young woman. Fear.

"You're afraid," he remarked, tilting his head to one side. Raven averted her gaze to the floor as he continued to speak. "But not of me. What's going on?"

"Nothing," managed the empath, her eyes still firmly rooted to the ground. She swallowed before speaking again. "Everything just feels so strange."

"Look, Raven," began the boy wonder, resting his hand on her shoulder gently. "I didn't send the others away so that I could make things worse. I wanted to talk to you one on one to see how you were doing."

She raised her eyes to meet his masked ones and he smiled. "How you're _really_ doing. I know you – we share a connection. Things are never what they seem when it comes to you."

Raven let out a light laugh that was barely perceptible. She could feel the tears coming and wiped her eyes self-consciously. "That's true."

"Come on, you know you can always talk to me," pressed Robin, softly. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm sorry for what we did," blurted out the empath, before she could stop herself. Her eyes continued to well up. "We didn't mean to make you all so upset. I was going to leave. Leave the team. Leave Gar. He convinced me to stay. He said that you all had the right to make your own decisions and that it wasn't my place to make them for you. He said that getting married would prove to me that he was committed. That he wanted to make it work and that he wouldn't just leave me like I was expecting him to."

Pausing for breath, Raven let out a long sigh. "I _hate_ it when he's right."

Robin laughed openly at her sentiments, giving her shoulder a squeeze before releasing it. "You know, he's right a lot more these days than he ever was before. He's changed. We all have. But you've changed more than the rest of us put together."

"I suppose," shrugged Raven, uncertainly. Her eyes were shining slightly. "Maybe I just don't see it in myself."

"Look at how far you've come since Trigon," reasoned Robin, reassuringly. "You can control your emotions, your powers and even your mind so much better than ever before. You're more open to spending time with the team, to become involved in all of our different activities. Some of it has been a change over time. But I think that Beast Boy is something to do with the biggest transformation in you. Being in love...it's changed you Raven."

The Azarathian considered his sentiments for a while, chewing her lip anxiously. It was true, she had changed a lot since she and the changeling had decided to be together. But to her it had felt small, incremental. She looked towards Robin once more. "About Rina..."

"It's as much of a surprise to you as it was to us, right?"

"She wasn't...planned," tried Raven, carefully. She let out another deep sigh. "The monks on Azarath told me that I wouldn't be able to have children due to my unusual heritage. I never thought it was a possibility. But I'm guessing that Gar's DNA is...unusual. Something must have happened that couldn't happen normally. Perhaps Cyborg might shed some light on that fact."

Robin listened quietly, nodding his head. It was rare for the empath to talk so freely and he wanted to encourage it. Raven rubbed her hands together, before fiddling with her sleeves absently. "Anyway, I wouldn't have known if J'onn hadn't confirmed it. So, I suppose it _was_ a shock. I think that's why I decided the best thing was to leave you all. To go somewhere quiet until I could figure things out."

"I'm glad you decided to stay," admitted Robin, quietly. "The team needs you."

"Robin, I can't lie. I could be dangerous to all of you," began Raven, her eyes filling with tears once more. "I know that Rina said I needed to avert someone's death, but I fear for all of you in my present state. This is uncharted territory. Pregnancy will change my hormones, my emotions, my powers. I don't know what is going to happen. With the combination of my demon genes and Gar's strange abilities, who knows what could go on in there. I just...I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen. We can take precautions as necessary," replied Robin, firmly. "If you left the Tower then you'd not only be suffering alone but by your logic you'd be putting other people around you at risk too. Civilians. Maybe even your child. As your leader, I can't allow that to happen. Here, we have a chance of keeping _everyone_ safe. Including you."

Raven smiled, pleased that her assertions about Robin at the chapel were correct. Despite his many faults, he always tried his best to do the right thing. She knew that it didn't come easily to him to put his own feelings and prejudices to one side. They lapsed into silence as they both sat with their own thoughts for a while. Raven was looking out across the bay, as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The way that the light reflected on the water was beautiful. She realised in that moment that she too was glad she had opted to stay; this was her home, they were her family. It suddenly felt like the right thing, despite the strange way in which it had occurred. Robin spoke, breaking her pensive mood.

"You'll be a great mother, you know."

"You think so?" replied the empath, massaging her temples soothingly. "I think I'll be a pretty hopeless mother."

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't have a remotely normal upbringing. I'm terrible at cooking. I struggle to look after myself at times. I like my own company. I don't like loud, irritating noises. Do I need to carry on or is that sufficient to explain my concern?"

"Raven, I know that neither of us had the _best_ childhood," remarked the young man, leaning forward towards her. "But we learned about family from a different place. From each other. From the team. Family doesn't have to be perfect to be great."

Raven looked at his face again, and she couldn't stop the tears any longer. He was right. They would support her. They were the family she needed, the family she chose. As Gar had said, they were just making it a little bigger. She leant over and wrapped her arms around Robin tightly and sobbed for a moment. Robin rubbed her back comfortingly, feeling his own defences crumble. Raven was like a sister to him, and their connection ran deep. He could almost feel her pain and fear. But also, her happiness at his sentiments. Her relief.

She pulled back from him, sniffing. A small smile was on her pale face. "You know that was quite poetic. You should get it printed so we can hang it over the door."

Robin laughed lightly and touched her shoulder again. "Look, my only concern is that we give you the _right_ support. We've got a lot going on right now, and battles are dangerous places for an expecting mother. You may need to be out of action for a little while."

"Yes, I understand. And I know that the timing isn't ideal with everything that's going on but...Rina is a gift," replied Raven, carefully. "She's saved the life of one of the team. I don't know who, but you're all precious to me and for that I will be forever grateful. Whatever it takes; I will do my duty as she has done hers."

"Always optimistic," smiled the young man, echoing his view from days past. Raven managed a weak smile as he continued. "Look, I trust your instincts. You do what you feel that you can. But we need to keep your news as quiet as we can; keep it out of the media. If Slade gets to know then..."

Raven felt the pressure on her shoulder increase to the point of pain. She winced slightly, and Robin realised his mistake, releasing her slowly. "Sorry."

"You're still struggling with the fact he's back," said the empath, her normal monotone present momentarily. Her eyes looked at him entreatingly. "Please don't let this ruin you, Robin. Not again. The team wouldn't manage without you. We need you, now more than ever."

Her heartfelt words struck a chord with him, and he cast his mind back to Starfire's similar sentiments. He sighed. "You're not the first person to say that."

"Starfire," stated Raven, quietly. She smiled. "She's more perceptive than you realise, and she's right. Robin, you need to let the past be in the past. Don't let what happened with Slade define you. As a very wise Martian once said to me, you always have a choice."

It was as if a lightbulb went off in Robin's head. Between the two of them, the female Titans had struck a chord with him. He knew what needed to be done, but he didn't want to share it with the empath quite yet. There was someone else he needed to speak to first. Raven's eyes were looking at him imploringly, her senses most likely reaching out to sense his mood. He raised his walls back up and leant back in the chair. His leader voice had returned. The empath knew the tone instantly, and her own back straightened as he spoke.

"Thanks for being honest with me, Raven. I hope that you'll continue to do so. Anything you need, come straight to me okay?"

"I will," she confirmed, pulling her hood back up. Their moment had passed, and now there was work to be done. The empath had something she knew he would want to hear. A small smile on her lips, she began to speak. "In the meantime, I've had some thoughts about how we might be able to lure in Slade and Terra."

Robin returned her smile, his masked eyes narrowed in anticipation. "I'm all ears."


	36. Chapter 36 - Rebuild and Reorganise

**Author's note:** **Thank you all so much for your kind and ongoing support. I've been incredibly busy lately, so I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I have been writing, but I like to edit things several times before I upload them! I can't believe we're at chapter thirty-six – it's been a long journey with you all, hopefully you're still enjoying the story!**

 **WARNING: This chapter contains scenes that may be disturbing to some. I do not condone bullying in any shape or form, and if you are a victim of bullying I urge you to share it with someone you trust.**

 **Replies to reviews are at the end of the chapter :)**

 **Disclaimer:** **As always, I do not own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe. Any other characters belong to me, so please don't steal them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Six – Rebuild and Reorganise**

Robin and Raven parted ways after their ideas had been shared, but it was a secret to be kept between the two of them for the time being. Raven paced down the metal corridors in search of her teammate. She found him exactly where she knew he would be; underneath the hood of his beloved vehicle.

"How's she doing?" asked the empath, her voice echoing around the garage. Cyborg stood upright and rested his hand on the hood, his eyes landing on her slowly.

"She's alright girl," replied the cybernetic man, closing the hood with a bang and resting his back against it. "How are _you_ doin'?"

"Surprisingly okay," replied Raven, giving a tiny smile. She took a few more paces into the garage, before reaching into her cloak. "I came to return these. We borrowed them without asking, I'm sorry."

She reached her closed hand out to his metal one and dropped the two holorings. They landed with a clang in his metal digits, and his human eye widened at the recognition. "My holorings..."

"Yes, well...with Gar being green and me being a half-demon...it's complicated," managed Raven, tentatively. She gave a guilty look to her metal friend and took a deep breath. "Like I said, we're really sorry Cy. It was a desperate situation."

"I _want_ to be mad at you," admitted Cyborg, raising his eyebrow at her as he clasped the rings firmly in his hand. "But y'all did return them in mint condition. So I'll give ya a pass this once."

Raven let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks."

There was a silence between them as he walked over and put the rings in a lockable drawer and closed it with a click, before turning back towards her. He had a strange look on his face, and he ran his hand over his bald head awkwardly. "I can't believe you're gonna be parents."

"You think _you're_ surprised," shot back the empath, sarcastically. Cy smiled appreciatively at her attempts to break the atmosphere. Raven's shoulder's slumped slightly and she sighed. "It is what it is. I just don't understand how it could have happened at all."

Cy pulled out a stool and took a seat. He had a feeling this was going to be an arduous conversation. "What do you mean, little lady?"

"Well...it's hard to explain. Let's just say, I was brought up to believe that I was infertile," explained Raven, her lilac eyes shifting to the floor. Cyborg could tell these were difficult memories for her and he stayed with silence as she spoke. "I never thought it would be in my future. I mean, I never thought I would _have_ a future past sixteen but then...well, even after we defeated Trigon, I was certain it was impossible. Cy, I'm a hybrid. I know I _look_ human but...I'm not."

"I get what you're sayin'," began Cy, gently. He reached out and touched her shoulder softly. "But you're human in all the ways that count. Same as me."

Raven raised her eyes to meet his and gave a knowing smile. "That's true."

"But I hear what you're sayin', you didn't think it was possible. I'm guessin' you've already had this thought seein' as you're smart, but it's gotta be to do with B's strange genetic structure," mused the cybernetic man, releasing her shoulder and rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he spoke. "I'm thinkin' that maybe his DNA can shift in the same way he can. Fit to any given situation. Even to match the genetics of a different metahuman."

"The thought had entered my mind," admitted Raven, leaning back against a worksurface. "Too late, unfortunately. But I suspect you're right. Either way, it doesn't matter. Rina's there, miracle or otherwise."

"Yeah, this is where we're at," nodded Cy, fumbling through his documents on the worktop. He pulled out a large piece of paper with pencil scrawls all over it. "I've been thinkin' about what we can do to help. Before I spent some time with my baby, I sketched up some plans for an idea I got earlier. Take a look."

Raven gingerly took the paper, curiosity in her eyes. She scanned the scrawl with wonderment. "What's this?"

"This, my little Raven, is a plan for a birthing suite," smiled Cyborg, pointing to the top of the paper. "Specially designed for half-demons with out of control powers and emotions. Sound useful?"

Raven quirked her eyebrow. "Incredibly. Will it work?"

"Girl, have I ever let you down before?" laughed the cybernetic man, his red eye glowing. It was safe to say that Cyborg was a genius in his own right and Raven knew it. He grinned as he continued to speak confidently. "When you're in this baby, you and the rest of us will all be safe as houses. Promise."

Raven dropped the paper like it was red hot and leapt at the man suddenly. Her arms wrapped round his bulky frame and she began to sob onto his shoulder. Cyborg was so surprised by her actions he was unsure what to do for a moment. Awkwardly, he reached around her delicate frame and gave her a gentle hug. "Hey, hey. This was meant to cheer you up not make you cry!"

"These are happy tears," mumbled Raven, helplessly crying into his back as dark energy crackled around her. She was past being embarrassed and wanted to express herself honestly. "You have no idea what this piece of paper means to me."

"Rae..."

The Azarathian pushed back away from him, her long hair hanging about her face. Tucking a strand behind her ear, she continued as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm terrified of hurting you. All of you. Including Rina. If we can keep everyone safe, then-"

"Then you can promise _me_ you won't be doin' any more midnight runs right here and now," interrupted Cyborg, folding his arms in a parental manner. Raven looked at him guiltily, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I saw the footage on the Tower's CCTV. Wish I'd thought to check it yesterday, but I was so panicked I quickly checked the internal cams then drove downtown. Didn't think to look at the roof cam until just now."

The cybernetic man tilted his head and gave her a firm look. "Look, I mean it Raven. I won't build this for you unless you promise to see this through to the bitter end. Here, with your family."

Raven's eyes fell to the floor for a moment and she rubbed her tear-stained cheeks once more as she considered his offer. It didn't take too long to make a decision. Looking back up, she fixed him with an honest grin. "Deal."

Cyborg smiled brightly at her response. He looked relieved. "Well alright."

Following his affirmation, Raven's eyes changed and became steelier. She pulled her hood up and tucked her hair in deftly. "Now that the cute and fluffy is out of the way, I need you to make me something else."

The cybernetic man's eyebrow raised quizzically. "Say what now? Somethin' _else_? For the baby?"

"Not exactly," replied the empath, cryptically. "But before I explain I need you to make _me_ a promise."

"What promise?"

"Keep this between us and ask me no questions."

"I dunno Rae, Robin said—"

"Do you trust me, Cyborg?"

The metallic man eyed her warily. "Is that a trick question?"

"No," replied Raven, relaxing her determined gaze for a moment. Her eyes softened. She repeated her question calmly. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," replied Cyborg, after a moment of thought. His human eye filled with a steeliness of its own. "I trust you, sis. With my life."

"Then you'll do this for me, you'll ask me no questions," replied Raven, her eyes hardening again. "And your life will be safe."

* * *

Robin had something important he needed to do; he knew that putting it off would only be prolonging the inevitable. After parting from Raven, he had paced down the metallic corridor to the familiar confines of his room and shut the door with a sigh. Lying back on his bed, he stared up at the ceiling pensively. Memories were flying around inside of his mind, and he closed his eyes to focus himself.

 _"Hey Dougie Dog Face," jeered a tall blond adolescent, his long hair brushing the bridge of his nose. He sneered in the face of young Doug Wilde, pressing him against the school lockers firmly. "Didn't we tell you to get out of our corridor?"_

 _"We definitely did, Danny!" agreed a shorter, scruffy looking dark-haired kid. He had freckles across his nose, and a stockier frame than the tall, lithe one of Danny Preston. "But here he is, ignoring what you said."_

 _"Oh, now that just won't do will it, Shaun?" smirked Danny, leaning back towards Dougie menacingly. Shaun Martin laughed mockingly and blocked the smaller child's other exit with his arm. The two of them had him trapped, and he knew it. Dougie Wilde began to cry, turning his face away from Danny's._

 _"Don't cry, Dog Face," jeered Danny, grabbing and turning the other child's face roughly towards his own. "You're getting snot on my sleeves."_

 _"Uh oh," snickered Shaun, shaking his finger scornfully in Dougie's face as he sobbed. "You know what that means? Punishment."_

 _"You're right, Shaun," affirmed Danny, rolling his sleeves back and giving a sickening grin. "There's no doubt that punishment needs to be given to our little friend. But what might that be? What do you think would be appropriate, Shaun? Head down the toilet?"_

 _"Cliché," spat Shaun, twisting his fingers and smiling. "Wedgie?"_

 _"Obvious," drawled Danny, flicking his blond hair out of his blue eyes. He fixed his gaze on Dougie firmly. The smaller boy stopped sniffling as terror spread across his face at the realisation of what was to come. Danny sneered again and raised his fist above his head. "Plan C it is, then. A good old-fashioned beating."_

 _"No, please," whispered Doug, covering his face with his hands beseechingly. "Please, don't Danny!"_

 _Danny ignored him and continued raising his fist anyway. Shaun cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Shut up, Dog Face."_

 _Suddenly, a hand grabbed Danny's wrist firmly. A cold, dark voice spoke from the shadows. "You_ _ **don't**_ _want to do that."_

 _Shock lined the two adolescent's faces, as Danny and Shaun both span around to face their would-be assailant. Shaun's face dropped and his eye twitched slightly as he recognised the person standing before them. "D-dick."_

 _Dick Grayson squared up to the two older boys, his grip on Danny's arm still firm. He squeezed. Hard. "Hello Danny, hello Shaun."_

 _"Dick Grayson," growled Danny, feeling pain radiating up his ulna. He winced, trying to keep calm despite the sweat that had broken out across his face. "W-what do you want? This has nothing to do with you."_

 _"I want you to walk away," said Dick, his voice calm and low. He narrowed his eyes. "Now."_

 _"C-come on, Danny," stammered Shaun, nervously. "We should go. You know who his Dad is right...?"_

 _Dick felt his heart drop inexplicably at the boy's words. He turned his eyes towards Danny, who was nodding in agreement. "Right, I don't want beef with Bruce Wayne. My Dad works for him."_

 _"M-mine too," nodded Shaun, tugging at Danny's sleeve anxiously. "C'mon."_

 _Realising they were backing down, Dick let go of Danny and the young teen rubbed his sore arm. He fixed Dick with a death glare before reluctantly admitting defeat. "Yeah. Let's go."_

 _They stumbled off down the corridor, whispering in hushed voices. Dick watched them leave, before turning his head towards the smaller boy. He let a small smile pass his lips. "You okay, Doug?"_

 _"Y-yeah, I think so," sniffled Dougie quietly, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. He straightened his blazer and pushed his glasses back onto his nose. "I hate those guys. I wish I could stand up to them like you, Dick."_

 _Dick gave the young boy an empathic look. But Doug really didn't know the half of it. His life was all for show. What they saw at this posh school he was forced to attend was_ _ **not**_ _the real Dick Grayson. Here he was just the son of a billionaire. That was to be feared within the context in which he found himself. But Dick knew the real meaning of fear, even at the tender age of 13. He touched Doug Wilde on the shoulder gently. "Just try to keep out of their way, okay? They mean business and I might not be around next time to help you out."_

 _Dougie nodded, vehemently. "I-I will. Thanks for sticking up for me. It's nice to know I have friends."_

 _Dick's eyebrows raised at the small boy's sentiment, but he managed to smile briefly. "Yeah. Sure, of course. See you later, Doug."_

 _He turned and walked away from the lockers with a strange feeling collecting in his stomach. Bruce didn't allow him to have friends. Not real friends, anyway. Not friends who knew the_ _ **real**_ _Dick Grayson. He realised that he wouldn't be liked if they knew what he really was. What he was capable of. He had come to the conclusion that he would probably never have friends, but he couldn't shake off the intense feelings that were passing over his body in that moment. It didn't feel right to him, somehow. None of it felt right. Caring was within his nature, yet it was something he was being taught to dissociate from. Bruce would probably have been mad if he'd found out that Dick had been involved in a fight at school. It would be designated as 'inappropriate' considering his skillset. Sighing, he gathered his bag and headed towards his English class. This was his life now; it was pointless to try and change it. But someday, he just knew that he would. It would just take a little time._

Robin's eyes opened again, as the memory dissipated from his mind's eye. Where had that desire for change gone? Where was that young boy he'd just seen? He'd fallen into the role of Robin and continued with it as he was asked to do. But Starfire and Raven were right. It wasn't who he was. It didn't define him. He was ready to find his own path. To be Dick Grayson again. To make people respect him not for his status, or for where he came from but for who he was. Not for being Bruce's adopted son. Not for being Batman's infamous sidekick. Recreating himself was something he needed to do. For himself. For his friends. For Star. Suddenly, he was gripped by a need to see her. He pushed himself off his bed and headed out from his room.

Knocking on her bedroom door, he heard voices inside followed by the unmistakable gurgling of Silkie coming from within. The door opened and revealed Beast Boy and Starfire petting the larvae and laughing together like two children. Robin's heart warmed at the scene momentarily, as they turned to face him full of glee.

"Hey, Rob," said BB, his eyes creasing at the corners. He gave a toothy grin. "Good timing. We're all done with Silkie, right Star?"

Starfire grinned widely. "Oh yes! We have been most good _k'norfkas_ to our little _bumgorf._ "

Robin gave a small smile and leant on the doorframe lazily. "Good job, guys. Hey Beast Boy, I'm all done talking to Raven. Thanks for giving us some space, bro."

"Hey, no problem," replied the changeling, giving their leader a thumbs up. He pushed himself to his feet. "I guess I'd probably better go see how she's doing."

"Sure, she headed back to her room, I think," nodded Robin, gesturing with his head down the corridor. He turned his eyes towards the princess. "Star, do you have a minute?"

The Tameranean beamed. "For you, of course Robin."

"I'll see you guys later then," added Beast Boy as he passed Robin in the doorway. He clapped his hand on the boy wonder's back as he passed by. "Thanks for everything, dude."

Robin gave another, more genuine smile to his teammate. It said more than any words could. With that the shapeshifter left the room, as Robin walked towards his girlfriend. The door slid shut behind him and Starfire tilted her head to the side. "You are the okay, Richard?"

"I'm good," conceded the leader, sitting down next to her and briefly capturing her lips in a kiss. She took his hand in her own, and he rubbed his thumb across her long fingers gently. "Star, I want to pick up on our conversation from the other day. About me."

"You...do?"

"Yes. You said that I will always be me no matter what badge I wear on here," he started, tapping his R as the Tameranean had done before. Starfire nodded, and tilted her head again as if trying to work out where he was going with his line of conversation. Robin continued to talk, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he found the words. "You're right. About everything. So, I've made a decision."

"You have?" asked Star, curiosity rising in her chest. She turned her jade eyes towards his expectantly. "What is this decision of which you speak?"

Robin met her imploring stare slowly and gave a sad smile. The gravity of his decision had hit him like a sledgehammer all of a sudden. "I've decided that I don't want to be Robin anymore."

* * *

"Rae, you in here?" said Beast Boy, sliding the steel door open and looking around the empath's darkened room. Raven was levitating over her bed, candles lit in their customary position. Her cloak lay on the chair, discarded for the time being. She didn't move as he spoke, so the changeling quietly slipped the door closed and entered her room softly. He sat down on her bed and watched her for a while.

"You'd better not be checking out my butt," came the dry voice, out of the blue. The changeling almost leapt off the bed like a startled cat. Raven floated around to face him, an amused expression on her lips. She lowered herself onto the bed as Garfield spluttered with mirth. "Is that _guilty_ laughter, Mr. Logan?"

"Most _definitely_ not, Mrs. Logan," quipped Beast Boy, smiling at her unmistakeably shocked expression. "Still not used to that, huh?"

"Not sure I ever will be," replied the empath, playing with her long lilac hair. "I've always been mononymous."

Beast Boy raised his eyebrow quizzically. "Hey, I never accused you of cheating—"

" _Mononymous_ not monogamous," interrupted Raven, loudly and with emphasis. She gave him a little glare, despite the smile playing on her lips.

"Oh," said the changeling realising his mistake and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Despite his extended vocabulary _that_ had caught him out. He thought for a moment but realised that he'd never heard that word before. He'd need to admit defeat for the first time in a while. "What are you talking about then?"

"I meant I only had one name; a mononym. For a long time," replied the empath, quietly. She looked down at her hands. Her mother's surname had never truly felt like her own and was never used on Azarath. "For as long as I can remember, I've always just been Raven."

The realisation of what his new wife was saying hit him, and Beast Boy reached over and gripped her hand tightly. "Hey, you're still Raven. You just added a bit extra on. It's like you've evolved."

She raised her violet eyes to meet his and smiled. "That's true."

They shared a moment, looking at each other quietly and enjoying the peace. The changeling broke first. "How did it go with Robin?"

"Fine," nodded Raven, her eyes still fixed on his. "He's handled it all remarkably well."

"Yeah, he has been pretty good about it all," agreed Garfield, feeling relief seep over him. "I kinda thought we might be in big trouble. Worth it though."

Raven laughed lightly, a cheeky glint in her eyes. "Definitely."

Beast Boy gave her a goofy grin before continuing. "Honestly, I was worried about how all the Slade stuff might have been clouding his mind. But he seemed pretty relaxed."

"Robin's changing," replied Raven, with a shrug. She looked up shyly at the changeling and gave his hand a squeeze. "We all are."

Gar looked down at her stomach and then back at her face. "Hmm. I like to think of it as growth."

"Of course you do," laughed Raven, poking him playfully and stretching. She yawned widely. "I'm tired, Gar."

"You and me both, Rae," admitted the shapeshifter, letting the tiredness seep all over him. "We should get some rest. There's going to be a lot to sort out over the next few weeks."

"I guess so," agreed the empath, chewing her lip anxiously. Beast Boy picked up on her emotions instantly. He wrapped his arm around her soothingly and Raven looked at him gratefully.

"It's going to be okay, mama," reassured Garfield, giving her his signature grin. "You won't hurt us. I just know that you won't. You never do."

"I've also never been pregnant before," countered Raven, wisely. She sighed, remembering her promise to Cyborg. "But I'll try to stay positive, for all of you."

"Hey, _you_ must be changing too," quipped Beast Boy, trying to cheer her mood. "You didn't tell me off for calling you mama."

Raven's eyes widened at the realisation. "Oh my God, I didn't."

"Wow. I've finally broken you," laughed the changeling, giving her a squeeze and kissing the top of her head. "It only took six years, marriage and a baby to do the trick. Super easy. Don't know what the big deal was about."

Raven smiled and closed her eyes, letting his warmth and jovial emotions wash over her. There was a comfort there unlike any other. He always knew _just_ what to say to make her feel better. A few tears seeped out and landed on his chest. Her sentiments from that day on the roof hit her like a sledgehammer. "Thanks, Gar."

"For what?"

"For just being you."

* * *

The following morning Robin called an emergency team meeting, and everyone ambled into ops looking tired. Starfire yawned widely, her jade eyes looking duller than usual. She glanced at the digital clock and balked.

"It is the nine thirty? It feels like four in the morning!"

"You said it, Star," grumbled the changeling, his hair sticking up at strange angles. He attempted to pat it down but was unsuccessful. "I need at least another four hours beauty sleep."

"I hate to agree with him, but I _really_ wanted to stay in bed today," sighed Raven, gripping her customary mug of tea and closing her eyes. "I feel as though I could sleep for a week."

"Well, my battery charge is full but there is a weird feeling in my circuits," shrugged Cy, tapping on his arm. "Like I'm anticipatin' it's gonna be a rough day."

"That's not too far wrong," came the voice of their leader from the doorway. He walked over to his team, cape flying behind him. "Because today we're going to discuss how we beat Slade and Terra."

 **Thanks for reading! Here are some replies for the reviewers...**

 **OdaStider: Keep tuned for more! Glad you're enjoying it.**

 **SharonLaly: Oh, you made me laugh then! :) No promises, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so I'm sure things will be okay in the end (probably). Just kidding! They will (most likely) be fine, definitely (hopefully). Promise! ;)**

 **AwesomeRockStar101: So glad you're enjoying – let's hope you like this chapter too!**

 **AzarathCat: Ah, shucks. I'm glad you enjoyed it; I try to keep them as true to character as I can (a challenge sometimes!) Hopefully this chapter will keep up the intrigue – enjoy and thanks for reading!**

 **tickwordstockwords: I just had to respond to you and thank you for taking the time to come back on to FF just to submit a review. Seriously, it means a lot and I read the whole review :) I really am glad you're enjoying the story. I'm hopeful this chapter keeps your interest and welcome back to !**

 **Sanzojoe: I tried so hard in this story not to make Robin an idiot (so easy to do) and I wanted to show the real strength of all of their relationships as they are older in this story. I hope you enjoy – we're almost at the end, it's been a long journey and you've been there since the start so thank you :)**


	37. Chapter 37 - Teams and Comrades

**Author note:** **I am a very bad person. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I won't beat around the bush with apologies and pleas, without further ado here's another chapter for you lovely folk. Review responses are at the end. The good news is I'm almost done writing it and so I'm hoping to get this story finished by the end of this month. Promise!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe. Please note that some storylines may have changed from their original ones for the purposes of this story.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven – Teams and Comrades**

"What?" said Beast Boy, his emerald eyes perking up at the mention of their two nemeses. "How we _beat_ them? Dude, we don't even know where the heck they are!"

"Agreed!" echoed the Tameranean, flicking her fiery mane out of her eyes and looking at Robin warily. "How can we be doing the beating of them if we don't know where they are hiding?"

"My guess is your boyfriend has a pretty good idea where they're hidin', Star," reasoned Cyborg, folding his arms and taking a seat on the couch. "Am I close, birdy?"

"Close, but wrong," smirked Robin, folding his own arms and leaning back against the window. "Right idea. Wrong bird."

Everyone turned to look at Raven, who had been remarkably quiet during this whole exchange. Her eyes were still closed as she held her tea mug tightly, but they flickered open as she felt everyone's gaze landing on her. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, he's talking about me."

"Wait a minute, you _know_ where Terra and Slade are, Rae?" asked Beast Boy, incredulously. There was a slight sense of frustration in his voice. "How come you didn't tell me?"

Raven placed her mug down on the table and sighed deeply. "It's been a strange few days. We were slightly distracted Gar, wouldn't you say?"

The changeling considered this for a moment before sighing himself. He shrugged, defeated. "I guess so."

The empath placed her hand on Beast Boy's shoulder gently and felt him relax. Smiling at him reassuringly, she turned towards the rest of the team. "Look, I'm not one hundred percent sure. But with the support of J'onn I was able to focus my visions from Rina and I noticed something. A clue."

"What is this clue, friend?" asked Starfire, floating above the sofa and tilting her head. "Please do tell us!"

"Raven saw an emblem in one of her visions of Slade and Terra, and it gives us a pretty significant idea where they could be," chipped in Robin, meeting Raven's eyes. She nodded as he continued. "I certainly think it's clear indication that they're most likely still here in Jump."

"The logo read LexCorp," stated Raven, lowering her eyes as the others turned to face her. "The fact that we saw Terra so recently, and her comment about seeing us soon suggests to me that they are operating out of one the LexCorp buildings here in the City."

Cyborg was already typing frantically into his arm, his red eye scanning the projections. "Hmm. Sources indicate that there are four LexCorp constructions in Jump."

"Locations?" asked Robin, his voice calm and low. "Nearby landmarks?"

"There is one that's right in the centre opposite a law firm of some kind. The second one is a factory on the eastern-most edge of the City lookin' out across the desert. Third one looks to be not too far from here, near a school or educational faculty of some kind," listed the cybernetic man, speaking rapidly as the images flashed across his screen. "The last one is right at the top of Jump, looks like it borders the ocean. Lookin' out over a—"

"Lighthouse," cut in the empath, quietly. She picked up her mug again and took a sip. Cyborg's eyes looked up at her in surprise as he nodded. Raven met his eyes and returned his nod firmly. "That's the one."

"Friend Raven, how did you know that there would be a house of light?" asked Starfire, looking a bit bemused. Raven met her eyes and smiled kindly at her friend.

"I remember seeing it from the window, Kori. It was dark in the vision, but there was a shaft of light hitting the glass," replied the Azarathian, her lilac eyes still looking firm. "It's got to be that place, none of the others fit the description."

Robin rubbed his chin with his gloved hand pensively. "If you're right, then that has to be where they are. But something has been bothering me all night. Why would they be at a _LexCorp_ building?"

"LexCorp's owned by Lex Luthor, right? Isn't he some kind of business tycoon?" asked Beast Boy, running his hand through his green hair. "Something to do with the JLA?"

"Right," confirmed Cyborg, nodding. "Like Rob said, it doesn't make any sense. What does Lex Luthor have to do with Slade and Terra's operation?"

There was a silence as the Titans digested this information. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in the empath's mind as several dots connected. She swallowed her tea and put the mug down with a bang that made everyone jump. Her monotone voice cut through the silence. "Robin. You mentioned that the SS were trying to set up some kind of genetic metahuman experiment to use as a weapon, right?"

"Sure, that's what the intel from the JLA and Batman suggests," confirmed the leader, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Well, paying someone like Dr. Morrow and the rest of the SS to do what's needed...that takes funds, right? Who has more funds than—"

"Lex Luthor," interrupted Robin, his eyes widening beneath the mask. He paled, as the realisation hit him. "He must want to use the experiment to take down Superman and the JLA. If that's true, it's an investment."

"Friends, I am most confused," stated Star, her eyes looking blankly at them. "Raven, are you suggesting that Mr. Luthor is part of the SS?"

"That's _exactly_ what I'm suggesting," nodded Raven, her violet eyes looking gloomy. "Which means that Slade and Terra will have back up. _Lots_ of back up."

"That's...not gonna be fun, right?" jested the changeling, rubbing the back of his head and giving a weak smile. "I mean, those two on their own is a problem. With the Slade bots helping them out, it's a _big_ problem. But with a metahuman experiment thingy its—"

"Suicide," finished Robin, taking a deep breath. He exhaled and looked up at the team who were all looking at him expectantly. "We need a plan."

"What we _need_ is back up of our own," acknowledged Cyborg, standing to his feet. "This is too big for the five of us. B's right, man. Ain't no way we can go into this situation on our own. Prepared or not."

"I am inclined to agree with the sentiments of friend Cyborg," confirmed Starfire, her eyes shining. "We are all brave warriors, but I fear that even with our new battle plans our combined strength would prove futile against such a formidable foe."

" _Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster',"_ quoted Raven, wisely. Everyone looked at her blankly and she sighed, defeated. "Sun Tzu? The Art of War? Do none of you ever read, seriously?"

The others looked at each other blankly. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and muttered under her breath. " _Azar help me._ What I was driving at is the fact that Cyborg is right; we need to evade disaster by doubling our efforts. We need to enlist extra team members."

"What about the other Titans?" asked Beast Boy, as everyone turned towards him. "I mean, won't they help us out?"

"Whilst that's definitely a good idea, Beast Boy," nodded Robin, his face still looking grim. "I'm not sure it's going to be enough."

"What about the JLA? Didn't Batman suggest they would help us out when we needed them?" reasoned Raven, her voice still low and monotone. "Robin, if there ever was a time where we need help, this is it."

"I know. But there's no way that the JLA will come down here," sighed Robin, feeling a sense of defeat before the battle had even begun. "From what Batman told me at our last meeting, they're already busy trying to defeat the rest of the SS."

"Rob, if you're seriously suggestin' what I _think_ you're suggestin', we need all the help we can get," stated Cyborg, firmly. "You gotta make the call, whatever the outcome."

Robin looked at the defiant expressions on all of the Titan's faces. They were determined to fulfil their roles, even in the face of such impossible adversity. He felt a sudden sense of pride at how far his ragtag team had come over the years. Despite his identity crisis, he wouldn't let them down. His eyes rested on the empath. He suddenly remembered her current situation and felt a pang of fear hit him. "Raven..."

"I'll be fine," stated Raven firmly, grasping the meaning in his tone right away. Her violet eyes met his masked ones and he felt himself shrink slightly. The young woman could wither people with a look when she wanted to, and despite everything she was resolute in her decision. "The fact that I am pregnant changes nothing. Rina sent me these visions because she wanted us to see what the future holds. She warned me about the danger so that I could protect you. I'm not going to let her down now. Not after everything we've been through."

Beast Boy looked at his wife, his eyes shining with pride. She really was an impressive woman. Her courage would remain until the end. It was one of the many things he loved about her. "Rae's right. We've all got to stick together. I won't risk losing you. Any of you."

"Green bean has got a point," conceded Cy, nodding. "We gotta work this out together."

"Agreed," smiled Starfire, her eyes glowing green. She turned her illuminated orbs towards her boyfriend and titled her head. "Robin?"

Robin met her eyes and felt his love for her washing over him. He looked back around the team. His love and protective feelings for them all hit him like a tidal wave. He nodded. "Alright, Titans. I'll make the call."

* * *

 _Two hours later_

Raven and Beast Boy sat in ops waiting for the rest of the team to return from their respective duties. The changeling sighed as he put his communicator away.

"Well, Titans South said that they can spare Hot Spot. He's heading out here today, should be with us in a few hours."

"Good," remarked Raven, also letting out a deep sigh as she put her own communicator away. "Argent is coming too; she's just sent a message to say that she's heading over as soon as she can. The rest of Titans North are caught up on other missions."

Starfire burst through the doors to ops, flying towards the sofa at speed. "Friends! I have spoken with Jinx and Kid Flash. They are both coming across to our Tower immediately! They wish to support our cause."

"Okay, so that makes an extra four," counted Beast Boy on his hands. "Meaning that there's nine of us. Will that be enough?"

"Hard to say," replied Raven, narrowing her lilac eyes. "We don't have any idea what will be waiting for us at the other end."

Cyborg entered ops, shoving his communicator back into a compartment. "Y'all, I just got off the phone to Bee. She's comin' over with Aqualad, whilst Mas y Menos and Speedy hold the fort back at Titans East. They'll be here soon."

Raven noted the strange tone in his voice, but she knew that she had no choice but to ignore it. These were desperate times, and everyone on the team knew it. Personal feelings needed to be put to one side whilst the plans were being made.

"Eleven," counted the changeling, nodding towards the two female Titans. "Getting better."

"Where is Robin?" asked Starfire, floating down to the floor and tilting her head enquiringly. "Is he still speaking with Bruce?"

The Azarathian nodded, her long violet locks swaying. "Yeah, he's been out there this whole time whilst we've been ringing round the others."

"Oh man, that _can't_ be good," acknowledged Cy, shaking his head. "Y'all, even with all the other Titans...I'm worried. This ain't some kid's fight with Dr Light or Control Freak. The SS mean business, and LexCorp bein' involved means—"

"Means that we have to do something soon," interrupted Raven, firmly. She stood to her feet. "Cyborg, if we don't act now then Terra and Slade could destroy the whole City. Then help the SS to destroy the whole planet. We _have_ to stop them. We have to do our part. For the City. For the world."

"At what cost?" asked Cy, turning to face her slowly. "Losing one of the Titans? All of the Titans? All of our friends?"

"That's not going to happen," growled Raven, her eyes glowing red. "We _can't_ sit back and wait for them to make their move."

"Raven is correct," added Starfire, her green eyes glowing to match her friend's red ones. "We must make them pay for what happened to our City. We must prevent further loss of lives, no matter the concerns we may hold."

"Y'all, I want to do that as much as you do. I'm just bein' realistic here," replied Cy, holding his hands up to the two angry female Titans defensively. "I just don't want to risk any of y'all gettin' hurt."

"Cy, bro," chipped in Beast Boy, walking over and placing his hand on Cyborg's shoulder to calm him. "We all feel the same way. Look, we're all scared right now. Scared of losing each other, scared of making a mistake. But remember what Bruce said to us – sticking together as a team is the one thing that they won't expect. We have to show them that even though we're scared, even though we know the cost, we won't back down. This isn't about us anymore, dude. It's about what's right and what's wrong. You get it?"

Cyborg paused, as the changeling's deep words hit home. He nodded, sadly. Raven walked over and placed her arm on his other shoulder, her red eyes receding as she did so. "Beast Boy is right, we need to stick together and be strong. Who knows what could be waiting for us?"

"We must not argue!" agreed Starfire, smiling. She wandered over and wrapped her arms around the empath and the changeling. "We must work together. All of us."

"All of us, and a few more," came a low voice from behind them. The rudimentary group hug broke apart at the sound of their leader's deep tones. Robin smiled, a sense of victory on his lips. "Back up is on its way."

* * *

It took two days to get everyone assembled. In between the arrival of the mismatched team members, the Titans had to deal with Mad Mod, Mumbo Jumbo and Overload in quick succession. Feeling literally and metaphorically frazzled from their most recent fight, the Titans were gathered in ops, as the other superheroes filtered into the room. Once everyone was accounted for, Robin and Batman addressed the group in front of the main screen.

"Thank you all for coming," began Robin, his voice cool and low. "We know how busy everyone is with their own problems, but this is an issue which affects all of us in one way or another."

"For some time, the JLA has been following the movements of the Secret Society with great concern," added Batman, pressing a button which brought up the various society members on the screen. There was chattering amongst the assemblage as both familiar and unfamiliar faces became visible. Batman raised his hand to silence the group, who obliged obediently. "There are villains here you will know well. There are others who are still a mystery. There are some which cannot be included due to their identity still being unknown. The point is, the reach of the SS goes far and beyond what one superhero or a small team can handle. Which brings us to why we have gathered you all here today. Robin?"

Robin nodded, taking a deep breath as he tried to dissociate himself from his raw emotions. He tried not to meet Star's piercing gaze, but knowing she was looking at him at least brought some comfort. The mismatched team all looked at him expectantly, as he began to speak. "Our team here in Jump City had an incident a little over a month ago involving two individuals who have connections to the SS; Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke and the former Titan Terra Markov. The devastation that was caused in our City by these two was...regrettable."

Raven glanced over at Beast Boy and saw his jaw tighten and his fist clench. She gently touched his shoulder and watched as he relaxed a little and gave her a reassuring smile. She wasn't convinced she believed it altogether, but in honesty she felt great resonance with the changeling's sentiment. Glancing around the rest of her team, she knew they all did. Even Robin, who was trying to keep it together at this integral point, was suffering in silence. She recited her mantra in her mind and tried to focus on the task at hand, putting her thoughts to one side for the time being. Terra was a sore subject for the team, and everyone in the room knew it.

"As you may have surmised, they are working together. But they are more well connected than we could have ever imagined," continued Robin, unaware of the empath's complex thought process. He pressed a button which brought up the unmistakable LexCorp logo. A few gasps and mutters erupted in the group again. Batman stepped in, physically moving himself in front of Robin and closer to the group.

"I know this may be shocking to some of you, but please try to listen," Bruce scalded, his voice still calm and low. "We have reason to believe that Terra and Slade are connected to Lex Luthor and therefore that he has connections to the SS directly. You are all aware what the inclusion of such a wealthy asset means to such a group. It means _resources_."

"Exactly. Other research that was conducted by Batman and the JLA suggests that the SS are creating a supervillain from genetic material. Genetic material collected from superheroes comprising various teams across the world. To be clear, an attempt was made on Raven some months ago, which very nearly led to the destruction of our team to this effect," explained Robin, trying to keep everything on track before the inevitable barrage of questions followed. "You all know what it would mean for humanity if this was to happen. All of our Cities, our loved ones, those we are sworn to protect could all be systematically wiped out."

"Robin's right," came a familiar female voice from the back of the team. Standing to her full height, Diana Prince walked to the front of the group to join Batman and Robin. Her long dark hair swayed as she walked, the gold in her outfit glinting in the morning sunlight. Starfire let out a small gasp of admiration. She knew of Diana and had admired her for many years. Such a warrior would be revered on Tamaran; an excellent role model and a person to respect. Starfire noted that the Amazonian had a beauty that was unrivalled. Her face was stern and wise, but her blue eyes were kind and her presence calm. The rest of the gathered heroes all lulled into silence as she began to address them.

"I have had dealings with the SS for some years now," said Wonder Woman, her fists clenching as she spoke. "They are not to be underestimated. They are a very real and very powerful threat to us all. I have reason to believe that the SS are after my very being for the embodiment of their creation, so I urge you to take what my comrades are saying _very_ seriously."

Diana paused, turning her eyes towards Batman who gave the smallest of smiles and nods to her. She returned the gesture before continuing her speech. "Slade and Terra have some part to play, of this I'm certain. If it is to do with Lex Luthor then you can rest assured, it will be important work. As such, we must do all that we can to halt their devious plan before it's too late."

"That's all well and good, but what _evidence_ do you have that Slade and Terra have direct involvement with the SS?" came a pointed question from the group. Everyone turned to see who had challenged Wonder Woman's judgement, to be greeted by a familiar pale face staring out at them. Jinx flicked her pink hair self-consciously and fixed the team with a glare. "What? You were all thinking it."

There were a few grumbles from the room, but Wonder Woman spoke before they had chance to start squabbling. "That is an excellent question, sister. The truth is that we have some inside information that has been feeding our intel on this mission. Raven?"

The empath felt her face grow even paler at the mention of her name. Raven's stomach twisted with anxiety; she hated being the centre of attention. Be it press conferences, dealing with the public or one of Bruce's big fancy affairs; it was not her forte. She felt all eyes in the room turn in her general direction and she swallowed. Rising to her feet slowly, she took a deep breath and turned to face everyone. Her hood was firmly in place, lilac eyes shining out like torches.

"The story in its entirety is too long and complex to explain," started the Azarathian, twisting her fingers beneath her cloak, where no one could see. "But in essence, what Wonder Woman is referring to is a series of visions that I have received. They suggest that Slade and Terra are not only involved but are in fact members of the SS themselves."

"So, we're basing _all_ of this off your freaky nightmares?" asked Jinx sarcastically, quirking her pink eyebrow. Raven closed her eyes to calm herself and reopened them slowly.

"They're not nightmares Jinx, they are _visions_ ," emphasised the empath, as calmly as she could. "They have been sent to me from the future by someone who has lived this reality before. Someone who knows the outcome if we do not deal with this very real threat in a timely manner."

"Someone from the future? Who?" came the inquisitive voice of Kid Flash, who had been uncharacteristically quiet from his seat next to the pink sorceress. Raven felt her stomach lurch again, until Robin stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. His eyes were narrowed beneath his mask.

"That's not important right now, Kid Flash. We have every faith in Raven's visions and in the source from where they came. If it's evidence you're after, then know that they have been corroborated by J'onn J'onnz himself," replied the leader, his voice firm and commanding. Raven felt an instant relief seeping over her. People mumbled conspiratorially at the mention of the Martian Manhunter's name. He was not a being that was often questioned in terms of his reliability. "Terra and Slade _are_ working with the SS and Lex Luthor. The question is _how_ we deal with them. We can't do it alone and we need your help. Ultimately, what we are asking is that you trust our judgement. If you're unable to do that then you are free to leave."

Raven was slightly startled by the authoritative tone of her friend. He would gladly support his team until the end, but it was rare that he would speak so defiantly and freely when the Dark Knight was in his presence. She filed away her thoughts for later, as they seemed significant somehow. For the time being, she was grateful for the support, and she lifted her chin to match his defiance. "Robin's right. We're asking for your help. You know the stakes; you know the risks. The choice is yours. Are you in, or are you out?"

There was some more murmuring around the room. Batman's voice cut through the room once more. He made his allegiances clear. "You know that you have the support of the JLA in the form of myself and Wonder Woman for the duration of the mission."

Diana nodded, firmly. She looked over at the boy wonder with a smile on her face. "We are at your disposal, Titans."

Robin met her eyes with his own and allowed a grateful smile. Raven mimicked his actions, looking over at Bruce and nodding appreciatively. Starfire stood to her feet.

"You know that I am with the team until the end," stated the Tameranean, her voice full of purpose and determination. Beast Boy was on his feet a moment later, his emerald eyes locking with Raven's lilac ones. A connection passed between them as he spoke.

"What she said," chirped the changeling, lightly. Cyborg's arm shifted into a plasma cannon, his red eye flashing in the sunshine.

"We're Titans forever, man. That's just the way it is," smiled the cybernetic man, giving his team a deliberate look. He turned his attention out towards the rest of the room. "Well, y'all? Are you gonna help us or not?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you're all part of my family," came a quiet voice from the back of the room. A buzzing sound followed, and a recognisable figure raised into the air and flew to the front of ops deftly. Bumblebee landed next to Cy, giving him a dazzling smile. He returned it, a twinge of sadness in his human eye. Karen turned her eyes out towards the group. "I trust this team with my life. If they say they need my help, I'm in. Aqualad?"

Garth quietly stood up and walked to her side, nodding. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Aqualad had history with the Titans; he wasn't about to betray any of them in their time of need. The group of standing team members was growing. Eyes turned out to the rest. There was a palpable silence.

"Oh, what the hell," sighed Jinx, standing to her feet slowly. "For the record, I think taking on Lex Luthor is a terrible idea. But I know what Slade and Terra are capable of. I know that I want to be on the right side of the fight. Miss Buzzy is right. We have history, Titans. So, for what it's worth, I'm in. Which means so are you, Wally."

Kid Flash gave an indignant look before shrugging helplessly, a grin on his face. "Yeah, she's right. I'm in."

Argent and Hotspot gave each other a look and stood to their feet, joining the throng of heroes that was gathered in the small room. Batman gave a small smile, before turning his gaze towards Robin. "A full set. How about that."

Robin met his gaze and nodded in understanding. Bruce was making reference to his cryptic comment; the very comment that the changeling had recalled a few days prior. It was still baffling to the Dark Knight how Robin was able to manage these things in a way that he couldn't. Batman had realised early on that he was better suited to being a solo act. His gaze acknowledged that this wasn't necessarily the case for his young protégé. Their unspoken conversation finished for the time being, the two looked towards the room. Robin pushed a button, and the LexCorp building on the coast was shown to the group.

"Glad to have you all on board. Now, here's the plan..."

* * *

 **Review replies:**

 **Sanzojoe – Thanks for your review! I absolutely agree, I think it's probably the only way it would be possible too. I like the idea of Robin morphing into Nightwing and the process he goes through, rather than it just being a decision of "Oh, I'm done with being Robin now." There are a lot of feelings associated with it, loss and everything else. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**

 **Azarath Cat – Oh thank you so much! I hope that you continue to enjoy it. We're almost done. The next few chapters will be longer and then there may be an epilogue, we'll see. All in all, I hope to be finished very soon.**

 **Anonymoose – Whenever you get to this point – thanks for the compliment! Not long to go now and I look forward to reading your review once the story is done. Enjoy!**


	38. Chapter 38 - Bad and Worse

**Extended author's note at the end. TL;DR – Sorry for the delay in updates, life and stuff. Enjoy this extra-long chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, or any other DC Characters.**

 **Chapter Thirty-Eight – Bad and Worse**

* * *

The night drew in as the makeshift team set about getting ready for their mission. The moon was high over the T-shaped tower, yet it hummed with life. Everyone was due to assemble within the hour, to put the plan into action. Raven quietly slipped away to her room for some final meditation. After finding her centre and chanting her soothing mantra for a while, her feet touched down on the familiar metal floor and she paced towards her window slowly. She was restless. Absently, she placed her hand over her stomach and sighed. There was a bad feeling in her gut, a feeling she just couldn't shake. The empath had the sense that no amount of meditation would remedy these feelings, and so she raised her eyes towards those familiar stars in hope of finding peace. Her quiet voice was lost in the vast, dark space.

"I hope you were right, Rina. I hope I can do enough to keep everyone safe," Raven whispered, her eyes still firmly set on the skies. Her hand rubbed across her abdomen and she pulled her cloak around herself protectively. "I hope I can be all that they need me to be."

"You always are," came a voice behind her that made her leap out of her skin. She turned quickly, her eyes glowing white with instinct. Robin smiled at her from the doorway, his footsteps light as he walked towards her. "And you always will be."

"I wish I had your faith in me," mumbled the Azarathian meekly, averting her now normal violet eyes back out of the window so he couldn't see the tears that shone there. "I'm so scared of losing any of you...my powers are so tense—I just—"

"Stop," gestured the leader, placing his hand on her shoulder. He felt her shuddering beneath his touch. "Raven, you need to calm down. Rina told you this for a reason. I'm terrified of losing any of you too, but we have to use this information to our advantage. The visions. The psychic meeting. It all has to mean something. We have to _make_ it mean something."

"I understand," droned the empath, her voice low and dull. She blinked back the tears and turned towards him, her lilac eyes meeting his masked ones. "I'm scared, Robin. Knowing Rina is with me has changed everything. This isn't some stupid fight with Mumbo Jumbo. Slade's a different animal altogether. I _know_ what he's capable of. We've seen it. To be completely honest, I've never gone into battle feeling this scared before."

"I can't even _begin_ to imagine," acknowledged the dark-haired man, his arm dropping from her shoulder. He knew her sentiments about Slade were accurate; he wasn't some common criminal to be toyed with. Slade was different. Slade was dangerous. Robin rubbed his chin in thought as he spoke. "This is a different experience for the whole team. You've got maternal instincts, but we have _family_ instincts. We want to protect our own, and so to some extent I can empathise with what you're saying. Slade and Terra are undoubtedly dangerous; this was never going to be an easy fight."

Raven nodded, numbly. His words were hitting her as hard as his caring emotions. It was difficult not to break down and lose control completely. She brought her hand to rest on the cool glass and took a deep breath before speaking. "Then tell me. Are you afraid?"

Robin was taken aback by her sudden question. He remained silent for a moment as he considered her enquiry. He thought about the team. About all of the other honorary members who were relying on him. Of Bruce. Of his friends. His family. Starfire. His heart gave a pang of terror at the thought of losing any of them. But he could dissociate himself. It was what he had always done. Yet Robin knew there was no point lying to Raven; she was an empath after all. He nodded. "Yes."

"How do you cope with it?" asked Raven, her eyes imploring and wide. She sniffed, balling her hand into a fist under her cloak. "How do you manage the fear?"

Robin took a deep breath. "You know that there's nothing I can say to take the fear away. Sometimes, we _can't_ make the fear go away...we just have to do things scared."

Raven felt a strange emotion washing off the man as he spoke those words. Resentment. The question tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "Who told you that?"

Robin looked up and allowed a small smile to pass his lips as he cursed himself internally. Had he really let his guard down that much? He shrugged. "Bruce."

Raven didn't say anything. She didn't have to. It was painfully clear to them both that there were no easy resolutions. Silence hung in the air for a few moments longer than it should have done. Robin straightened his back and raised his chin. "Whatever happens Raven, I'll be there with you. All the way. So will the others. You know that, right?"

"It's the only reason I'm still here," joked the empath dryly, pulling her hood over her long violet locks gently. She corrected herself. "The reason _we're_ still here."

Robin nodded in understanding, eyes flitting briefly towards her stomach. He turned towards the door. "I came to tell you that the team is almost ready. Get what you need and then head down to the garage and we'll discuss transportation arrangements."

Raven nodded, her face blank and pallid once more. "Okay, Robin. I'll be there in five minutes."

Robin nodded again and turned towards the door. He hesitated for a moment, looking as though he wanted to say something further but decided against it. Raven cocked her head to the side as he left. There was something different about him, every fibre of her being knew it. She'd sensed it several times over the past few days. But she just couldn't put her finger on what it was. Knowing there were larger tasks at hand, she adjusted her cloak and walked over to her ornate dark wood chest. Reaching in, she pulled out a few items gingerly. Wrapping them in a black fabric, she placed them into her cloak. Her senses tingled, there was someone else approaching. Relaxing, she closed the chest and stood upright.

"I just told our fearless leader I'd be down in five minutes," she stated wryly, not bothering to turn around. She knew who it was. There was no mistaking those emotions.

"Alright, I just wanted to check you were okay _snarkypants_ ," came the response, as Raven turned around. Beast Boy stood looking at her, leaning against her doorframe lazily. In the moonlight, he cast a long shadow into the room. The empath felt her breath hitch in her throat, as her affection for him swam around her making the atmosphere feel thick. She swallowed and tried to keep her mind focused. Garfield seemed to pick up on her funny mood, and his jovial grin soon disappeared. "You okay?"

"I'm okay, Gar," she reassured, although even she didn't believe the words as they tumbled out of her mouth. He was walking towards her in a moment, pulling her hood down and tucking her hair away from her face. She turned her eyes down to the floor, and he grabbed her chin gently.

"Nuh-uh," he chided, raising her chin up so she was looking into his emerald eyes. They were full of concern. "Not this again, Rae. What's going on?"

Raven swallowed, feeling those supressed tears rising to the surface again threateningly. "I'm just...I'm worried about everyone. Rina said—"

"I know what Rina said," interrupted the green shapeshifter, his eyes never leaving hers. "Talk to me."

Raven sighed, the deep breath causing her body to relax involuntarily. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed the tears to come. Her bed began to shake, dark magic crackling all around them as her emotions started to burst out around her. She managed to stammer a phrase out, as his arms wrapped around her comfortingly. "I don't want to lose you."

"It won't happen," replied the changeling, defiantly. "If you think I'm going to go down without a fight—"

"Gar, Rina said that someone dies. What if it's you?"

"Then you'll stop it," responded Beast Boy, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "You got this."

Raven snorted a little; it was a grief-stricken laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. "You have _that_ much faith in me?"

"More than you'll ever know, Rae," smiled the young man, kissing his wife's forehead gently. "I trust you. I trust your instincts. Next to me, you've got the best instincts I know. You'll feel it when it's about to happen. Just trust yourself for once, 'kay?"

Raven nodded, her fear melting away a little. Despite Robin's empowering speech, Garfield always knew what to say. It was like he had a direct channel to her inner depths. Her soul-self started to relax; the furniture stopped throbbing and the energy stopped crackling menacingly. She let out another deep breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Clutching his uniform between her fingers she sniffed and tried to regain herself before leaning back. "Okay. You're right. I _can_ do this."

"You can," nodded Gar, his hands running down the length of her arms, before stopping to hold her hands gently. "I'll be right there next to you."

"You always are," smiled Raven, wiping her eyes with her hand as they both let go. Reaching up she planted a gentle kiss on his lips. She pulled back her emotions, putting them firmly in their place as she shot out a final sarcastic statement. "We should probably get going. Places to go, people to furtively attack."

"You know it babe," laughed the changeling, playfully wrapping his arm around her as they began to walk towards the door. "At least we'll get to go to the beach whilst we're there."

" _Babe_ , seriously? Did you really think I'd let you get away with that one? Especially after the mama incident," replied Raven, cynically. She quirked her eyebrow, a small smile on her face. "No pet names, remember?"

"Is that a yes to the beach though?" asked the changeling, mock hope on his face. His mission had been accomplished, she was smiling and that was all that mattered to him. Raven gave him her best glare as he chuckled at her.

"Come on Casanova, let's get going," she stated, her monotone voice returning to her fully. As much as she loved her husband, she knew that she needed to put the emotional mask back on now. It was time for her plan to come into action. Taking a final breath, she left her room with the changeling in tow. As the door whizzed shut behind her, she risked a glance at his face. This wasn't going to be easy, and Raven knew it.

* * *

"Alright team," said Robin, loudly. His voice echoed around the garage in Titans Tower, as everyone was crammed inside. Raven was levitating above the crowd, trying to keep her mind calm. Robin turned towards the vehicles and pointed. "Those of you who feel able to can fly to our agreed meeting point. For those who can't, there is the T-Car and the T-Ship ready for departure. Meet at the intended area in no later than one hour. Team, go!"

Everyone looked at each other blankly for a moment, surprised by the leader's famous phrase. Raven rolled her eyes.

" ** _MOVE IT,_** " she hissed, her demonic growl seeping through in frustration. No one needed telling twice. At her behest, everyone scrambled towards the vehicles and the exits rapidly. Gar looked amusedly up at her, before flashing her a toothy grin. He transformed into a falcon and shot out of one of the windows. Starfire bobbed next to her friend; hands clasped anxiously.

"Friend, would you accompany me by sky to our destination? Or do you feel unable to given your present situation?"

"I'm fine, Star," replied Raven, her voice icier than usual. She saw the Tameranean recoil at her response and softened her tone. "What I mean is, I'd like to fly with you. We haven't been out together for a while."

The princess' face lit up at her friend's response, and she did a joyful loop in the air. "Oh, wonderful! This is most marvellous! Shall we depart?"

"Let's go," smiled Raven, following the changeling's earlier path through the open window. Starfire was a moment behind her, as the cool air hit them both and the moonlight drenched their skin.

The sky was still littered with stars, and Raven cast her violet orbs across the horizon before looking over at her best friend. Star's arms were outstretched, face lined with happiness. The Tameranean was never as happy as when she was in the air. She caught the empath glancing at her and fixed her with a huge grin.

"It is a most glorious evening, is it not?" she asked, innocently. Raven supressed a small dark laugh within herself; anyone would forget they were flying into battle seeing Starfire's unbridled joy. The Azarathian nodded in response and turned her eyes back towards their destination. Starfire continued to speak. "You are well, friend? I am aware that this must feel strange. Going into a such a worrisome fight when you are..."

Star petered off at the end of her comment, blinking and also turning towards the horizon. Her red mane of hair was tangling and swooping behind her as they picked up speed. Raven chewed her lip, trying to keep her emotions in check. She tried to remember the changeling's kind words. "It's strange. But I'll be okay."

"We will always watch out for you friend," smiled Star, her green eyes flashing as they approached their destination. Raven smiled in response, genuinely touched by the sentiment. But she couldn't stop the pervasive thought that echoed in her mind.

 _'Yes, but who's watching out for you?'_

* * *

The lighthouse loomed in the distance. Raven saw it right away as they landed. Something about the sight filled her with fear. A lighthouse was often a symbol of hope, of a safety. But to her, it was a reminder of the painful visions of Slade and Terra. She swallowed, turning her eyes away from it and shifting her position so she was facing the nearby trees instead. Avoidance was key at this stage. A green falcon squawked at her side before shifting into Beast Boy.

"Hey ladies," winked the changeling, wandering over towards Starfire and Raven. "Come here often?"

Starfire giggled as Raven rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yes. We always come to a clearing in the woods in the middle of the night."

"Well," whispered Garfield conspiratorially, wrapping his arm around her. "I know how good you are at sneaking around in the dark."

Raven felt her face colouring as she shoved him hard. Starfire looked completely lost but matched the changeling's tinkling laughter.

"Ugh, please," came a voice from the darkness, causing all three Titans to spin around quickly. Jinx jumped out of Kid Flash's arms and they made their way to join the group. She had a playful grin on her face as her pink eyes narrowed. "Get a room."

Raven's blush deepened and Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at her childishly, as she flicked her pink hair. Wally smiled at the group, clearly amused by their embarrassment. "Where are the others?"

"They're almost here," replied Raven, glad for the change in conversation. Her hot cheeks had finally started to cool. "I can sense their presence. Once everyone arrives, I don't think we'll have much time before we are detected."

"You believe that Slade will have ways of detecting us even at this distance? Surely, he would not be so well prepared?" countered Starfire, tilting her head to the side. Jinx let out a laugh before patting Starfire on the back.

"Oh Princess. Have you _really_ forgotten what he's capable of?" sneered the sorceress, her eyes still full of mischief. "He's not some half-cocked magician or a crazy old Brit. He's in another league. The little bird is right, he'll be watching us. Probably even now."

Star's eyes widened at this sentiment and she glanced around herself cautiously. Beast Boy placed his hand on his teammate's shoulder and smiled. "Hey, don't worry Star. I can't pick up anything right now and I'm guessing Rae can't either, so we're probably pretty safe. 'Sides, the others will be here soon, right dude?"

The Tameranean nodded, her eyes still a little wide and fearful. Memories of Slade did not rest easy with her, and she felt unusual nerves bubbling inside her. Raven pulled her cloak around herself, noticing that it was colder now they had stopped moving.

"He's right, for the moment there's no imminent danger. Jinx is just being _overly cautious,_ " emphasised the Azarathian, shooting a little glare the young woman's way. Jinx shrugged and pouted slightly.

"Hey, it's not my fault she's so _overly sensitive,_ " scoffed the former villainess, flicking her hand dismissively. "It's just bad luck, I guess."

"Very funny, Jinx," stated Garfield, his voice unusually dry. All of the Titans were protective of Starfire, despite her superhuman strength and extra-terrestrial powers. There was something vulnerable about her that brought out their parental instincts somehow. But often they forgot how resilient the young woman really was. Star stretched to her full height, her tone now calm and low.

"Thank you, friends, for your concern," she stated, coolly. "I am certain the rest of the team will be here shortly and then we can continue our important mission forthwith."

Jinx seemed momentarily taken aback by the change in her comrade but gave her a small appreciative smile. "Right. You said it, red."

Not ten seconds later, there was an engine on the air and the familiar shapes of the T-Car and the R-Cycle sped around the corner. These were closely followed by the Batmobile. Beast Boy felt himself momentarily awestruck, before reminding himself of the gravity of the situation. Cyborg, Aqualad, Bee, Hotspot and Argent piled out of the T-Car and moved towards the group. Diana and Bruce exited the Batmobile and made their way towards Robin who was calmly taking his helmet off and looking towards the lighthouse expectantly.

Raven felt her heart begin to pound in her ribcage. This was it. It was happening. In that nanosecond before Robin spoke, she felt the past year whizz past her in a blur. The beach, Cinderblock, George, Tara, the coma, Phobia, the visions, Slade, Terra, J'onn, Rina...each one flashed before her and vanished before her mind rested on one image. Garfield. Her eyes flicked to the side and she saw him standing next to her. In that moment, the gravity of everything hit her like a sledgehammer to the chest. She felt her soul-self pushing, scraping, clawing to get out. Repeating her mantra in her mind, she kept herself as calm as she could. There was no other way. She had to do this. She had to keep them all safe. Taking a deep breath, she blinked hard and tried to focus on what their leader was saying.

"Team, it's time. You all know the objectives and the plan. Don't forget how important this is. Whatever happens, I'm proud to have fought alongside each and every one of you. Be safe."

Raven felt her throat catch, emotion hitching up again. She pushed it down with all her might and levitated off the ground before flying after the rest of the group.

No turning back. It was Trigon all over again; do or die. Everything was resting on it; everything had been building to this moment. She ran her hands across her abdomen gently.

"Come on, Rina. We have a job to do."

* * *

The factory was eerily dark. However, it wasn't unexpected for the time of night. Robin and Batman had made it clear that they both wanted to avoid any civilian harm where possible, so the middle of the night was the obvious choice. Raven was thankful to see that there was nobody on site. But it also unnerved her, the ominous feeling rising in her chest. It looked empty, but undoubtedly Terra and Slade were inside. Who knew what else might be lurking in the shadows? Waiting to attack her friends. Her family. Raven slipped to the back of the group. She needed space. She needed to focus. Everyone else was so engrossed in their thoughts that thankfully no one seemed to notice her movements. The plan was set, it was time to pull the trigger. Robin gestured to the team, pointing across various entrance points to the building and each member knowingly rushed over to their respective positions.

Hotspot, Argent and Aqualad went down underground through a manhole cover. Raven, Bumblebee Starfire and Wonder Woman levitated up to the highest window. Batman and Robin scaled the building to the middle entrance point, closely followed by Beast Boy, who was giving Cyborg a rudimentary airlift to his destination. Wally and Jinx whizzed around to the back of the building near the lighthouse to cover the back entrance. Robin's voice echoed one solemn word through each of their communicators.

"Go."

A burst of smoke heralded their entrance, with each team member breaching the large open space. LexCorp boxes were scattered across the floor by the gust of wind that blew through the open windows. The four women floated effortlessly into the darkness, a green glow surrounding them from Starfire's readied bolts. Machinery crackled with electricity as Hotspot blasted his team through the floor in the corner of the room, leaving a molten mess. Robin, Batman, Cyborg and Beast Boy hit the centre of the main floor hard, a loud echo following them around the room. Jinx and Wally erupted through the double doors loudly.

And then there was silence.

Raven's eyes scanned the darkened factory floor; broken machinery and boxes were strewn haphazardly around, but otherwise it looked like a perfectly normal building. The empath narrowed her eyes, a strange emotion creeping over her. Dread. Something wasn't right. She reached out with her senses; they were not alone despite how it appeared. Before she could speak, she heard Cyborg's voice echoing around the large space.

"Where the heck is everybody?"

Robin and Batman looked at each other, suspicion in their eyes. They didn't have Raven's senses, but they could clearly detect that something wasn't right. Jinx let out a loud tut from the back of the room.

"See, _this_ is why you don't rely on faulty information," she sneered, flicking her pink pigtail away from her face. "There's no one here."

"No," whispered Robin, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and looked around the room. "They're here."

"Uh, are you seeing something we're not?" asked Wally, whizzing over to stand next to the boy wonder. "Because, news flash Rob, the room is empty."

Raven felt a sense urgency hit her and, with wide fearful eyes, she opened her mouth to call out. "LOOK O—"

But before the empath could finish speaking, a large booming sound came from nowhere as the ceiling collapsed in. Around two hundred Slade Bots dropped down into the factory, before scattering around at lightning speed. Everyone froze as they noticed what was happening. In the centre of the group of bots stood a shadowy figure, who walked slowly towards the light.

"Hello Titans and company," came the cool voice that they knew so well. Slade gave a tilt of his head, his mask obscuring his facial features. His golden side glinted; eye narrowed but with a clear sense of joy at his present task. "Robin, it's been a while. How good to see you."

"Slade," growled Robin, whipping his staff out and unfurling it. His jaw tightened as everyone around him followed his lead and took a fighting stance. "We've come to stop you from inflicting any further damage on the City."

Slade's dark laughter tinkled around the room, sending shivers up Raven's spine. She looked around but couldn't see the geomancer anywhere. It was making her nervous.

"Oh, you mean the _little_ tremble we caused," mocked Slade, folding his arms behind his back. Despite the others looking ready for battle, he appeared cool and collected. "I am sorry about that, Robin. But it needed to be done. We needed to send you a message."

"What message?" spat Robin, fury evident in his voice. Slade was playing games, and he could feel his frustration seeping through as his patience wore thin. "What do you want?"

"That is a _very_ good question. Although I'm not sure it's one I can answer in full," began Slade, his eyes shifting over to look at Batman. Upon seeing the Dark Knight, his back straightened a little. It was as though he had some form of respect for him on an unconscious level. "With present company I don't think that it would be wise."

"They might be here for the SS," replied Robin, finding the coolness again despite his enraged state. "But _I'm_ here for you and Terra."

"Ah, now there's the Robin I know so well. Right to the point. Well, the message we wanted to send you appears to have worked," replied Slade, turning and walking towards the far wall slowly. "You and the rest of the team are here. So much easier to get your DNA when you're all in one place."

The pit of Robin's stomach dropped as realisation dawned on him. They _wanted_ the team to come find them. This was all part of Slade's plan. The Secret Society's plan. And they had fallen right into their trap. The rage started to rise again. Slade's face remained impassive because of the mask but Robin knew he was smiling beneath it. His eye glinted in the half-light as he continued his monologue. "You 'good guys' really are so predictable. But I thought better of _you_ , Robin. I thought you may at least be aware of my intent. Yet here I find you, clueless and unprepared. What a shame. Perhaps it was for the best that I redoubled my efforts to reobtain my other apprentice. She is by far your superior in every way."

Beast Boy felt his fists clench suddenly at the villain's words. He could feel his animal instincts starting to swirl, the Beast wanting to claw his way out of him and kill the son of a bitch standing in front of him. But the years had matured him. Garfield knew that it was part of Slade's plan to make them angry. To make them fight with emotion so that they would make a mistake. To make them all get irate with Robin for leading them into a trap; to potentially turn on each other. Mind games. It was all a big game to Slade; it always had been. But this was one game that the changeling wasn't going to play. Despite his emotional outburst, it appeared that Robin shared the shapeshifter's sentiment. He didn't respond to the obvious bait that was placed before him. Instead he laid into one of the Slade Bots with his staff. That was all the cue that the rest of the team needed. Within an instant they were all attacking the bots and the sound of crashes and thumps filled the air. Slade climbed and leapt neatly up onto the top of a shelving rack which nearly reached the apex of the building. From his high vantage point he observed the scene with evident delight.

Starfire reigned down her starbolts with accuracy, mechanical parts flying past her head as the bots exploded. Wonder Woman was throwing several bots against a wall as Bee attacked them with her electrical blasts. Raven's black aura threw several more hurtling towards the ground and she threw a shield hastily over the ground team in the nick of time, preventing them from being caught by the debris. Jinx and Wally got to work on their fair share of the enemies as pink flashes and electricity generated by Kid Flashes speedy attacks erupted around them. The others were supporting as best they could on the ground, whilst all dodging a blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon which ripped apart several bots in one go. Beast Boy shifted into a T-Rex and splatted the remainder with ease. Panting, he shifted back into his human form and turned towards the cybernetic man with clear resolve.

"This isn't right, where the hell is Terra? Don't you think this is too easy? Slade knows some lame bots aren't going to stop a team this size."

"You're right," shouted Cy, above the deafening noise of the battle. "Somethin's goin' down B, but I'm not sure what. DUCK!"

Beast Boy shifted into a small mouse and scuttled up his friend's leg, as Cyborg blasted away at some bots which had snuck up behind them. Beast Boy leapt from the metal man's shoulder and shifted back into himself deftly before landing on the ground. His eyes shifted up towards Raven, who was valiantly battling in the air. He felt his heart pounding. "We gotta do something, dude. This is a trap; my instincts are all telling me to get out of here or something _really_ bad is going to happen."

Cyborg nodded and turned around to see what the situation was. His red eye scanned the room and calculated the situation in an instant. "Ten bots left. We need to get hold of Robin. He's over the far end there, near Slade. Come on!"

Starfire's jade eyes revealed themselves following a blast of bright green energy erupting from them. The sizzling bot fell to the floor, and in the distance she noticed Beast Boy and Cyborg rushing towards Robin. Sensing in her gut that something was wrong, she grabbed Raven's cloak and tugged hard to get her attention. Raven's hood fell down as she turned to face her Tameranean friend. Sweat was lining her brow. Both concentration and confusion lined her face in equal measure. "Star-?"

"Friend, the others!" shouted Starfire cutting the Azarathian off, as Wonder Woman stormed past her with another two bots in her arms. "Something is amiss!"

Raven's violet orbs landed on the scene and she understood in an instant. Nodding firmly, she pulled her hood back up. "Right behind you."

Starfire turned and shot down towards the other Titans with haste. She landed next to Robin in the fray and helped him to take down the final few bots as Batman landed soundlessly beside him. The whole team was starting to organically gather at the bottom of Slade's vantage point.

"My my, you are all so very _resilient_ ," came the voice from up high, and everyone's eyes shifted up to look at Slade. From Diana's hands, the final bot fell and hit the ground with a resounding thunk and she landed next to it. Silence fell again, except for sizzles and occasional mechanical whirrs and fritzes of electricity. Robin's masked eyes narrowed, sweat beading on his hairline as he rested his hand on his grapple hook. Batman knowingly reached out and stopped him in an instant. Beast Boy and Cyborg had finally reached Robin's side and furthered the Dark Knight's wordless claim.

"Don't," stated Cy, firmly. "Somethin's not right, man."

"Now that you've seen the warm up act, it's time for the main event," sneered Slade, as a yellow glow appeared beside him. From the shadows appeared the familiar form of Terra. She smiled down at the group; her own pleasure evident.

"Terra," Robin gasped, before he could help himself. The geomancer smiled and gave him a small sarcastic wave, before assuming a battle stance. She took a flying leap towards the group and landed on a rock, which whisked her into the air with ease.

Everyone turned to face her, as she raised her hands up to the sky. The ground began to shake, and the team tried to stay balanced and weigh up what was about to happen. The building felt as if it may come down, rubble began to fall from the ceiling. The team all dodged and tried to get away from the falling debris.

Terra brought her hands together hard, her hair flying wildly around her face and her eyes glowing in the half-light. As they met, a cascade of sharp, lethal looking rocks flew down towards the team. Beast Boy shifted into a falcon and began to duck and weave through the falling stones. Robin and the rest of the Titans barely dodged the chaos, sheltering under a series of cabinets that had upended during the melee. But the Justice League members did not hesitate; Wonder Woman sprang into action, grabbing a long metal pole and flying through the deadly rocks in an attempt to swat the young blonde from the air. This provided adequate distraction to momentarily stop the deadly shards from raining down on the rest of the team. Batman immediately threw a batarang at Terra, which resembled a flashbang, leaving her temporarily blinded. As if well-rehearsed, Diana saw her chance and launched at the geomancer pinning her against the back wall. The team began to reassemble on the factory floor, distractedly looking up at the fierce fighting display which was taking place.

But Beast Boy _still_ couldn't shake his strange instinct to run. Shifting back to his human form he landed squarely on the ground. He knew that Terra wasn't the real threat here; Slade was. So why were they all looking at Terra when...

Before his body could catch up to his brain, he let out a small whimper. Turning as fast as he could to face the masked villain, he saw that Slade had produced a large and very specific looking weapon which the young man couldn't name. It was covered in strange markings and was glowing ominously, gearing towards firing. Garfield couldn't find the words to say, it was as though his mind momentarily froze. Then one single word escaped his lips.

"SLADE!"

Robin's head turned in an instant, but it was too late. The gun was ready to fire, and it had the target in its sights. A flash of light was seen before a loud crackling bang sound was heard. The energised round flew through the group and towards a very startled looking person. Beast Boy's hairs flew up on the back of his neck. His voice was loud and panicked but his body simply would not react.

" ** _RAVEN!_** "

Her lilac eyes widened as the bright bullet round approached her. A white light filled the room, and everyone was forced to cover their eyes, lest they were blinded by the explosion. The wind blew back Robin's cape as he fought his way towards the empath's position. But as the dust settled, there was only a blackened mark on the floor where the bullet had hit.

A shriek hit the air, causing everyone to freeze in terror. Raven was gone.

* * *

 **Author's note (full version):** **Hello everyone who is still reading! I can only apologise for the delay in getting this chapter up for you. I've had a few issues in my personal life that have held things up. This chapter has been written for some time, but I couldn't face looking at it all with everything going on. I just wanted to thank you all for your continuing support and kind comments. They really do make all the difference. I can confirm this story is now completely written and the next chapter will be the final one. If anyone wants an epilogue, I may well make that Chapter 40 and round it off but at least the story will have reached a satisfactory conclusion (hopefully!) for you all. I hope you enjoyed this special long chapter by way of an apology. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but the next update isn't too far away - I promise! -Chibi**


	39. Chapter 39 - Deception and Lies

**Author's note: This is the final official chapter of the story. Do enjoy it; I've already decided to do an epilogue to give a fuller ending as I didn't want to write anymore here and yet I have more to say (as this feels an unsatisfactory point to leave it, even as the author!)**

 **I hope that everyone enjoys this, full review replies are at the end. Thank you all for your enduring support. It's been a long journey, but a fulfilling one. Thanks for coming along with me.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any DC Universe characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine – Deception and Lies**

Robin was staring at the floor; he couldn't seem to make sense of what he was seeing. Raven was there a moment ago and now she wasn't. He kept staring and thinking she would appear, but the black mark was all that stared back at him. Before he could process what had happened, there was a growl next to him. The grieved shriek that had erupted from the changeling had progressed to a snarl and then a roar. The Beast stood next to the team; its fangs bared, and its claws unsheathed. Fear hit Robin like a truck, and he tried to reach out to his teammate in desperation.

"Beast Boy, no!"

The Beast shoved Robin out of the way with ease and made his way towards Slade. There was a brown blur from the side, as Terra's rock collided with the Beast hard. They rolled on the floor, both in shock for a moment at what had happened. But the Beast was up within a matter of seconds and growled at the geomancer menacingly. She did not appear phased and began to throw several pointed shards towards it, eyes glowing with purpose. A purple shape streaked across the room as Starfire crashed into the preoccupied antihero. It was clear that the Tameranean was equally enraged; although she didn't have a beast form, it was evident that she was out for blood. She threw Terra around like a ragdoll as the Beast shook off dust from its fur and, seeing that the previous threat was being dealt with, resumed its ascent towards Slade. Robin grabbed his grappling hook and sent a shot towards the top of the industrial shelves, ignoring Cyborg and Batman's pleas for him to stop. He flew with ease towards Slade, leaving the Beast in his wake. As he landed at the top, he turned and ran towards the masked villain as quickly as his legs would carry him. Suddenly a crashing sound came down from above and another few hundred Slade bots descended into the room, causing immediate chaos amongst the remaining team. Terra and Starfire were still grappling with each other; yellowed eyes meeting with glowing green. They were crashing and flying through the air as the building creaked ominously, threatening to come down on top of everyone. Ignoring this fact, the team got to work taking out the new robotic enemies. It was as though Raven's apparent death had been forgotten as they all fought bravely to halt the impending danger before them. Robin knew there was no time to process what was happening; he was fully aware that he was working on instinct as he came face to face with his old nemesis.

"Slade," he growled, breath coming out in gasps. "What did you do to Raven?"

There was no response, and for a moment Robin could have sworn that the man standing before him was confused _._ Robin snarled, unfurling his staff in frustration.

"I said, **_where is Raven_** _?_ "

Slade turned towards him, amusement and bemusement evident in equal measure. "I heard you the first time, Robin."

"Then answer me," shot back the leader, emphatically as he waved his staff readily at his foe. "Trust me, if the Beast gets up here before you tell me, then you may not be able to speak _ever again_."

"The Beast? Ah. You mean your green changeling friend. Yes, quite an impressive transformation. Clearly he cares for the little witch."

"WHERE IS SHE?" shouted Robin, bringing down his staff towards Slade. It clanged on the metal, as the villain dodged effortlessly. The young man was becoming more and more vexed with every passing moment. "Tell me what you've done with her!"

"I don't know," replied Slade, his cool voice remaining composed. Robin's frustration got the better of him. He attacked the man before him with all of his might. Every shot was dodged with relative ease. The fight was futile and far too fuelled by unbridled emotion. Slade grabbed hold of the staff firmly within a few moments. "Stupid boy. Enough of you. I need to think."

Without another word, he smoothly flicked the weapon to the side and kicked Robin squarely in the chest. The leader was sent spinning off the top of the shelving and plummeted towards the ground. Cursing himself for letting his emotions get the better of him, Robin sent out another grapple. He swung across the room and flipped before gracefully landing on the ground next to Batman. The Beast had almost made his ascent and was nearing Slade's position. Robin eyed the situation anxiously, still full of bewilderment at Slade's parting words.

"Robin," came Bruce's voice. It was the same as always; composed and consistent. The familiarity of it allowed a momentary sense of calm to wash over the boy wonder. "What's going on?"

"Slade won't tell me where Raven is," replied Robin, throwing a roundhouse kick at a bot that approached them then turning back towards the Dark Knight. "It's like he doesn't know himself."

Batman's masked eyes narrowed, and he stared up at the villain pensively. He suddenly pushed the young man to the side and deftly grabbed the circuit board from an approaching bot. It sizzled in his gloved hand as the bot dropped uselessly to the floor, twitching and crackling with electricity. "Then he doesn't."

"He must be lying!" insisted Robin angrily, as the crashing of the battle echoed all around them. His fist tightened and clenched as he spoke to his mentor in a frustrated tone. "You don't _know_ Slade like I do—"

"Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement," interrupted Batman, coldly. It was as though he was oblivious to the chaos that was all around them. He continued to speak in a measured way. "If he is confused then that means he _wasn't_ expecting her to vanish like that. Raven must be alive."

"But—"

"He is not wrong," came a quiet voice from behind Robin. He turned to see Raven's cloaked form looking back at him. Robin almost collapsed in shock and relief upon seeing the familiar face of the empath. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't manage to make any sound. Unfortunately, Slade had noticed her a split second after she revealed herself to the infamous duo and his voice rang out into the dark room.

" _There_ you are, Raven," he sneered, loudly. The Beast's ear pricked up and its head turned to look at the young woman. Something that no one had seen before happened; the Beast looked shocked. Fully and completely dazed and stunned. Then it whined piteously. In the confusion the form fell away organically, and the changeling's recognisable face returned slowly. He blinked his emerald eyes, trying to focus on the figure before him. In truth, he looked just as confused as his counterpart.

"R-Raven...?"

"Good job I bought a second round," whispered the masked villain, as another electrified bullet whizzed past Garfield's head. Everyone's alarmed eyes turned to look at Raven once more.

The young woman's figure became fuzzy and unclear as the bullet passed straight through her then exploded into light. But this time, when the dust settled, the strange transparent figure of the half-demon remained. The same dark mark was visible through her translucent cloak and everyone stared at the scene with astonishment.

Slade's own visible eye was widened in shock and his voice stammered and shook slightly. "Y-you...that bullet is specially designed to detain a demon...how are you...evading it?"

A voice which sent shivers down his spine whispered in his ear. "Because it's not a demon you're shooting at."

A cold sensation hit Slade in the neck, and he felt his vision gradually vanishing until everything faded into black. As the masked figure slumped to the floor, everyone looked up in complete perplexity. Another version of Raven stood behind him, a needle in her hand. There was a flash of dark energy, and she apparated behind Terra who was being restrained by Starfire. A second identical needle was injected into the geomancer who screamed before slumping to the floor respectively. The empath apparated once more, this time near to her doppelganger.

The two Ravens walked together as all of the rest of the team gathered around them. The Slade bots were gone, and dust was settling as the first rays of light shone through the newfound gap in the ceiling. The two cloaked figures looked at each other and smiled.

The whole team still had complete puzzlement written on their faces, except for one. Batman stepped forward, before standing next to the fuzzy version of Raven.

"J'onn," he stated, calmly. He couldn't hide the half smile that was on his face. "I should have known."

Within a second, the figure changed into the familiar one of the Martian Manhunter. He smiled at the Dark Knight, a mischievous glint in his eye. "My apologies. But I made a promise to the young one."

Everyone looked over towards the other figure, which was still very much that of the Azarathian. As if to prove the point, she reached out a hand and her eyes glowed white. The slumped figures of the two now former SS members floated down and gently rested together encased in a dark bubble. "Sorry to make you all worry."

Beast Boy rushed past the rest of the team, pushing members out of his way before tackling the real empath in a deep hug. Raven smiled and closed her eyes as she felt relief hitting her. It was done. Garfield snuffled in her ear. "Raven. I-Is it really you?"

"It's really me," whispered Raven, wrapping her arms around her husband tightly. "I'm so sorry, Gar."

They embraced intimately, and the rest of the team looked on silently. It didn't last for too long, before it was broken by a familiar feminine tone.

"Well, _that_ wasn't what I was expecting," stated Jinx, her pink eyes still full of shock. She shook her head and smiled sardonically. "But I take it back. You were right, Raven – good instincts. Trust me, I'll never mock your dreams again. I just hope I never feature in them."

Raven gave her a small glare, but she was smiling. The sorceress smiled back, and then turned towards Kid Flash who grinned back at her. Cyborg had rushed over and ruffled Raven's hair affectionally, still looking rather shell-shocked and bemused himself. "Girl, am I ever glad to see you!"

Robin was staring at Raven, a mixture of anger and overwhelming relief rushing over him. He spoke to her like a parent scolding a naughty child.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again," he managed, placing a hand on her shoulder. Raven reached up and gripped his gloved hand tightly.

"Promise," she said, offering another small smile. Starfire launched at her from the side, grasping her in a deep hug and knocking her away from the three male Titans.

"You must double promise!" exclaimed the princess, burying herself into the empath's violet hair. "You must _triple_ promise!"

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. They weren't going to let this go for some time, she knew. She patted the Tameranean's fiery mane gently, her voice monotone and low. "Promise times infinity, okay?"

"That is fair," smiled Star, her eyes shining with tears as she released her best friend from her vice like grip. "But, tell me, how did you know that it would be you that Slade would attack? And how did you subdue him and Terra?"

"Perhaps I can answer that, young princess," cut in the Martian Manhunter, gently. "Raven and I spoke recently, following your call for support. Something which Rina had said stayed with me; the idea of Ouroboros. The snake eating its own tail. A circle, a loop. Rina knew that it was Raven that would be killed; that is why each incarnation of Rina must make contact with the past to warn Raven to be careful. To ensure that the next Rina is born. For if Raven was to fall in battle, then the future Rina would cease to exist. Therefore, Raven logically would be the intended target. As for why Slade picked her over the rest of us...that I do not know yet. But I intend to find out."

"And now I have a headache," mocked Jinx, rubbing her temple and sighing. "Hey, hang on a minute. Who the hell is Rina? Why wouldn't she exist if Raven got smoked? What was the thing that Slade shot Raven with and-?"

"Look, there's a lot that we need to fill you all in on and a lot we clearly don't know yet," interrupted Robin, before it all got out of hand. "We will debrief back at the Tower. But for now, the main point is that Raven is safe, and we need to get these two into custody before they wake up."

"Don't panic, birdy boy. That ain't gonna happen for some time," said Cyborg, rubbing his head in a guilty way. "I'm pretty sure they'll be out for a while yet. It's very potent stuff."

"Wait a minute, Cy. You made whatever Rae injected them with?" replied Beast Boy indignantly, putting two and two together. "You mean you _knew_ about all this?"

"Man no! She just asked me to make a powerful knock out agent no questions asked, and I figured that was what she's injected them with!"

"And you _agreed_ to it, no questions asked? Are you insane?" said Bumblebee sarcastically poking the large man in the arm. Cyborg shot her a filthy look in response to her mocking comment, but he was smiling.

"It's true," corroborated the empath, nodding. "He made it without any knowledge of what it would be used for. As for his sanity, I think I'm just incredibly lucky to have a friend who would trust me implicitly without asking for anything in return but my word that it was for an important reason."

Raven paused and touched Cy on the arm loyally. They shared a knowing look before she turned back to the rest of the team. "Look, J'onn and I are very sorry for our deception of you all. You have every right to have lots of questions and even be angry with us. But it was important that we did it this way to keep you all safe. To make it look believable."

A heavy silence hung in the air, before it was broken by a loud voice at the back of the group. Everyone turned to look at the speaker curiously.

"What happened is of no importance. The important thing is that everyone is unharmed, and that we have a small victory over the SS. Without Raven and J'onn's help these two would have been free to wreak havoc not only on Jump City but all over the world," stated Wonder Woman, her face marred only by some grime. Blue eyes shining, she smiled fondly at Raven who returned a small one of her own. Diana looked at Batman. "The intel which we have learned here will inform our efforts within the JLA to defeat the SS. This is not the end; in fact, I am certain that it is the beginning of a much longer journey."

The Amazonian paused, placing her hand onto Starfire's shoulder. The Tameranean squeaked a little in excitement at being shown attention by her idol. Diana looked at the young redheaded woman fondly, and seeing her enthusiasm smiled once more. "We could not have achieved this without you. Any of you. You are all truly inspirational young people."

J'onn and Batman shared a glance before nodding in appreciation and agreement with Wonder Woman's words. Robin took a step towards the mature superheroes, suddenly feeling old beyond his years. "Well, if you ever need us again, you know how to get in touch."

He handed a communicator to Diana, who looked at him with some surprise before taking the small device out of his hand and placing it on her belt. "Thank you. All of you. Be well."

Raven felt Garfield's arm wrapping back around her. He squeezed tightly, as if he was fearful to ever let her go again. She rested her hand on her stomach under her cloak and lay her head down onto his shoulder. Tired didn't even cover it. The empath was exhausted; she had nothing left. All energy felt as though it was seeping from her. It had been a long and difficult day. As Raven cast her eyes across to the sleeping forms of the two memorable supervillains, she suddenly realised what the team had all been through and felt relief washing over her. It was over. They could finally rest for a while.

As though their leader had read her mind, Robin spoke once more. "Come on, Titans. It's time to go home."

* * *

Raven firmly gripped her tea mug in her hands, wrapping her delicate fingers around it and breathing in the steam it created. Home. It was a feeling more than a place, but she knew that she was there in this moment. Having debriefed with the team, everyone was now milling about getting ready to go back to their respective lives once more. Raven closed her eyes, and recited her mantra softly in her mind, trying to find her centre once more now that the battle was over. But her temporary reprieve did not last long.

"So, I hear you and the green man are expecting?" came a voice from behind her, and she turned her head round slightly to see Jinx looking at her inquisitively. She had her hands on her slim hips, her striped tights eye level with the empath. Raven rolled her eyes at the question.

"Come on, Jinx. It's been a long day. I don't have the energy for any more sarcastic comments. I barely have the energy to drink this tea."

"Hey easy there, lady!" laughed the pink-haired woman lightly, as she stepped around the couch and sat down next to the Azarathian. "I was just making an observation. This Rina _is_ your daughter, right?"

"That's right," replied Raven, quietly. She felt particularly defensive for some reason; unable to put it down to anything, she realised it was most likely hormonal. Plus, it had been a rather stressful day. Sucking in air through her teeth, she continued her brief response. A mischievous thought came about her. How to turn the tables better than with the element of surprise. "So, to answer your earlier question, you are correct. My husband and I are expecting."

"Your _husband_?!" squeaked Jinx, her eyes widened in shock. "Wow, birdy boy left out that part. Well congrats, or whatever."

Raven smirked slightly, breathing in the steam once more. "Thanks, or whatever."

There was a silence for a moment, as the buzzing noise in the background continued. Raven's eyes looked over to notice that the pink-haired woman was still sitting and staring at her expectantly. She furrowed her brow and placed her tea down on the coffee table with a sigh. "Jinx, I'm pregnant not plague-ridden. What's with the look?"

"Just curious," shrugged Jinx, her pink hair flicking slightly as she moved. Raven shrugged nonchalantly; a brief motion for the sorceress to continue. Jinx narrowed her eyes. "Does it feel weird?"

"To be completely honest it doesn't feel any different from normal at the moment," answered Raven, her customary monotone voice present. "Ask me again in six months."

Jinx smiled at the empath's response. "You're on. Wally and I are heading off in a while anyway and probably won't be back any time soon."

"Where are you going?" asked Raven, now slightly curious herself. The former villain shrugged, a wicked grin on her face.

"Who can say? We're fluid and flexible, in _so_ many ways."

"That is way too much information," countered Raven, smiling slightly despite the pink haired woman's tinkling laughter. "Well, take care of yourselves wherever you end up."

"Aw, Ravie. Don't tell me you're going all _soft_ now you're becoming a parent?"

"Don't bank on it," shot back the Azarathian disdainfully, violet orbs glinting impishly. "There's still a little fight left in me yet."

"Wouldn't doubt it for a second," smiled Jinx, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder. "Good luck with it all. I mean that."

She did, Raven knew. As the sorceress tottered to her feet and scampered away towards Kid Flash and Speedy with a parting wave, Raven couldn't help but reflect at the change in the young woman over the years. Yet somehow, this life suited her better than her heinous past. The empath shook her head, a small grin on her pale face at the memories now flitting through her mind.

"Something amusing?" came another voice from her side, which caused her to turn once more. Realising she was presently unlikely to get a moment's peace without hiding away in her room, she sighed deeply as her eyes landed on the person to her right.

"Hello, Garth," Raven stated, a little coldly. She felt her body stiffen as he took Jinx' place next to her. He noted her change in body language immediately and held his hands up in a defensive way.

"I come in peace," he joked blithely, clearly trying to make light of the situation. Raven quirked an eyebrow at him, lowering her hood as if accepting his request. Aqualad smiled at her reaction, his perfectly white teeth gleaming as he did so. "Look, about the last time we met—"

"I _really_ don't want to talk about it," shot back the empath, ice dripping from her words. Following the day's events, she wasn't in the mood for any of the aquatic hero's shenanigans.

"Then just listen," countered Garth, firmly. Taken aback by his tone, Raven turned fully to look at him and cocked her head to the side. Her lilac hair fell forward onto her lap as she eyed him warily. Aqualad took a deep breath. "Look, it's been bothering me since I last saw you. The way that I spoke to you was wrong, and I know I overstepped the mark. In the debrief Robin said that you and Beast Boy are expecting a child and I just wanted to wish you congratulations. That's all. I hope that we can put what happened behind us and move on?"

Raven expelled some air sharply and tucked her hair behind her ear. She sensed his sincerity. "Okay. I can hear that you're sorry, and I appreciate your apology. I don't like what happened that night, but I suppose you didn't know about me and Gar. As you can see now, we're pretty serious."

"Duly noted," stated Garth, a twinkle of amusement in his eye. He looked over to where the changeling was chatting with Cyborg and Bumblebee, laughing in his playful way. It was hard to believe that the happy go lucky man before them was the same fanged Beast which had been there in his stead but hours before. Raven saw Garth's gaze wander and followed it. She smiled lovingly, seeing Garfield's familiar form jovially speaking with their friends. Aqualad's eyes turned back to the empath, and he saw her fond expression. "You hold a lot of love for him. I'm glad that you found each other. For what it's worth, I wish you both all the best for the future. I honestly do, Raven."

"I know you do," smiled Raven, her violet eyes eventually meeting his dark ones once more. She quirked her brow and leaned in conspiratorially. "Empath, remember?"

Garth laughed, realising that the tension had slightly broken. He raised his own dark eyebrow in return as he stood to his feet. "Stay fascinating, Raven. See you soon."

Garfield looked over as Aqualad left, his concerned eyes landing on his wife. Raven shook her head, reassuringly. Relieved, he made his way towards her, leaving Cy and Bee to speak alone. "Hey, pretty lady."

"Hey yourself," smiled Raven, as he leaped over the back of the sofa and landed next to her. "How are they?"

"Surprisingly okay," replied Beast Boy, his green eyes flicking back to the cybernetic man and his dark-haired companion. "I think they're rebuilding their friendship again. In some ways I guess that was as important as their other feelings."

"You know I would never disagree where friends are concerned. Besides, Karen is more than a friend. She's family," stated Raven firmly, reaching for her tea once more. Beast Boy nodded emphatically, resting back into a more comfortable position as she sipped from the pale mug. After everything they had been through with Bumblebee over the past year, it was safe to say that the Titans considered her an extension of their own small team. Garfield cocked his head inquisitively.

"What did the fish-dude want anyway?"

"Just to apologise," shrugged the empath, blowing the steam before taking a sip. "And to say congratulations."

"Wow," laughed Garfield, a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes. "I think you broke him."

Raven gave her husband a look as only she could. "You have no idea. Now just imagine what I could do to you, _darling._ "

"Ouch," feigned the changeling, gripping his heart in mock pain. "Wait. Was that a _pet_ name, Rae-Rae? I'm totally banking that one for the future."

"I plead the fifth," smiled the Azarathian sarcastically, causing Beast Boy to laugh heartily. She placed the tea back onto the side and settled down next to him. Her voice hushed as she spoke again, her tone low. "You know, I saw you change. I saw him."

Raven felt Garfield stiffen at her side at the mention of the earlier events of the day. He took a deep breath and then sighed defeatedly. "Yeah."

"That's all you have to say? Don't tell me after all these years you're _finally_ speechless," retorted Raven, trying to lighten the mood. She knew he would take the humour offering gratefully given the hurt and shame she could feel pouring from his chest. As expected, the green shapeshifter let out a little appreciative chortle.

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself. I was just thinking."

"I wondered what that strange noise was."

"Very funny," scoffed Garfield, squeezing her with his nearest arm. His voice hushed again, his tone becoming more solemn. "I made a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I thought you were...I didn't think that you would...make another appearance. I just wanted to rip Slade's head from his shoulders. Kill him for hurting you and Rina. Animalistic instincts to protect you both, I guess. Either way, the second I had that thought, the Beast arrived and that was it. I shouldn't have let it happen...I should have tried harder to keep it under control but...well, I didn't. In that moment, I wanted him dead. What does that say about me? I have no right to call myself a hero, Rae."

"Garfield Logan," scolded Raven, turning to look at him. "You are way too hard on yourself, you know that?"

Beast Boy looked at her with genuine surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You thought I was dead however you want to skirt around the issue. You thought your unborn child was dead too. That's a big deal, and you know that I would have reacted in the exact same way," replied the half-demon, her voice full of sorrow. "And if that had happened, you'd be here right now soothing me and telling me it's okay, wouldn't you?"

Beast Boy nodded, numbly. If nothing else, he was always honest to a fault. Raven tilted his chin towards her so that he was looking into her eyes again as she spoke. "So _why_ isn't it okay for you?"

"Because I should know better," replied the changeling, lamely. The truth of her words was hitting him like a ton of bricks. It was as though his belief in what he was saying was starting to wane as the young woman spoke. He swallowed, trying to stay with his original thought process. "I should have kept control."

"We both know that in the heat of battle things get hazy. Look at it like this; the Beast didn't hurt any of our friends or any civilians. He went after the person who was causing the pain and damage to those closest to him. In a way, he did the right thing to protect those he loves. That's all that matters to me. That's a true hero," said Raven gently, rubbing his chest soothingly. "I'm proud of you, Gar. As someone once said to me, I wish you could see yourself how others see you."

The usually garrulous young man was remarkably silent for some time as he digested his wife's sentiments. Funny how when his own words were turned on him it felt different. He had meant it wholeheartedly when he told Raven that; yet, he couldn't see that anyone would see him as anything other than an out of control animal. A creature. A _monster_. It was undeniable that he was always hard on himself, his past had made that a reality. Over more recent years, the Beast had always been a part of himself he denied. Detested even. But perhaps in time it could be an asset. Maybe even a friend. With such deep philosophical thoughts pervading his mind, he sank back on the couch. He was so relieved that Raven was okay, more than she would ever truly know. The gratitude he felt for her being there with him safe and sound, for her kind words, her loving embrace was immeasurable. It meant everything to him. He knew that Rina would soon be with them and then he would have the family he had wanted for so long. It filled him with joy and dread in equal measure.

"Don't leave me again," he whispered, feeling some tears filling his eyes. "Please."

"Wasn't planning on it," smiled Raven, equally keeping her tones quiet. She could feel the sadness pouring from him. "For what it's worth, Gar...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not telling you the truth."

Gar felt his jaw set for a moment. Truthfully, part of him was angry with her for not being wholly honest. But he didn't want to dwell on those feelings. "You did what you had to do to keep us all safe. It wasn't an enjoyable experience, but I trust you, Rae. Always have, always will."

They fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's embrace. People seemed to finally be leaving and Raven could feel the tiredness enveloping her with every passing moment.

"Friends!" exclaimed Starfire, flying over and hovering above them. "I am begging your pardon, but the Justice League members wish to speak with us before they take their leave."

"No worries, Star," said Beast Boy, gently pushing Raven up and standing to his feet. "Lead the way."

Starfire beamed, before gliding over to the small group which had gathered at the far end of ops. As the final three Titans arrived, Batman began to address them.

"As you all know, the threat is far from over. The SS will rebuild, and they will still work towards their plan. It's inevitable; if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that evil will always find a way. But then so will we."

"Booyah," said Cyborg softly, his voice echoing around the nearly empty room. "So, what do you need from us?"

"Your continued support," replied Batman, nodding firmly. He addressed each of them in turn. "Victor, you have a great potential which I'm sure the JLA will be grateful of in the future. Kori, your bravery and strong will is the heart of this team. Garfield, you showed incredible strength and fortitude today and I can see how much your powers have grown since we first met. Raven, you have abilities which are far beyond your years. Undoubtedly some day you will make an excellent leader, with the initiative you have shown in this mission. Together, I am certain that we can prevent this threat from spreading any further."

"Whatever you need, we'll be there," stated Cyborg, reaching out a hand to Batman. The Dark Knight shook the mechanical man's hand firmly, a small smile on his face. Without another word to the Titans, he turned towards the team leader who had been missed from the small speech. "Robin, I wondered if we may speak alone before I leave."

"Sure," nodded Robin, gesturing towards the door. The duo walked out of ops without saying another word. The metallic frame closed with a whoosh behind them, leaving the rest of the team with Diana and J'onn.

"What Batman has stated is true," added the Martian Manhunter, kindly. There was a hint of sorrow in his voice. "Although it troubles me greatly to embroil such young ones in such peril, there truly is a great threat to mankind at work. Raven, I have a theory as to what Slade was trying to achieve. However, I did not wish to mention such a baseless notion in front of all the other young people, for fear of creating unfounded premature concerns."

Raven felt her breath hitch in her throat at the mention of Slade's name. She swallowed, pulling her hood up. "Tell me."

"Truthfully, I think his intention was to hit you with an enchanted weapon which would have rendered your powers completely useless for a temporary amount of time. That way, he would have been able to capture you and to take you back to Dr Morrow. Imagine the rarity of DNA like yours. You are all incredible young people, but Raven's powers resemble that of a deity in some ways. If they could have somehow exploited your genetic data then they could have truly created a creature of mass destruction, of the like that the world would have never seen before. Likely, the world would not have survived for the creature would have been at their behest."

"I am sorry to add to your concerns, but I fear the need to be crystal clear. You may all still be in danger for the foreseeable future. It is likely that Slade may try to complete his mission again, should he escape once more," added Diana, grimly. Her parting comment hit the team in different ways. Starfire's eyes were wide, Cyborg's brow furrowed, and Beast Boy's jaw tensed.

But Raven's face remained impassive. She knew the deadly nature of her genetic signature. She had spent her entire life, prior to being a Titan, being told that she was going to bring about the end of the world. That she was the daughter of a demon. A portal to darkness. It hardly seemed a far stretch to think that some mad scientist somewhere would drool at the thought of exploiting such power. Sighing deeply, she turned her eyes to the floor. "Whilst I'm disgusted, I'm not surprised. Slade is capable of all kinds of things. Wherever he is, he'll be plotting to get out and when he does...I'll be waiting."

" _We'll_ be waiting," corrected Garfield, gripping her hand in his own defiantly. She looked over at him, a small smile on her lips. Starfire slipped her hand into Raven's other, her eyes glowing slightly.

"All of us," she corroborated, her tone full of meaning. Raven's eyes began to fill with tears. The love that was radiating off them all was palpable to her. Two firm hands came to rest on her shoulders. She looked up.

"What they said," added Cyborg, giving her a light wink. Raven's smile widened, the power she felt from her friend's support mingling with her own. She felt relief in her body. Her mind began to speak of its own accord, hoping to reach it's intended target.

 _'You hear that? We've got this Rina. Whatever the future holds, we're ready for it. Together.'_

* * *

As Robin's door swished shut behind them, the infamous duo turned to face each other in the dimly lit quarters. Robin frowned slightly, anticipating what the Dark Knight wanted to say within this impromptu meeting. He cleared his throat, feeling a strange sense within himself. He recognised it in an instant. Trepidation.

"Bruce?" he queried, adjusting his mask nervously. It felt like he was that twelve-year old boy again, about to be told off or disciplined for reckless behaviour. He braced himself, a grim expression on his face as Batman began to speak.

"Dick, I wanted to debrief with you away from the rest of the team. What I am about to say doesn't concern their ears. It's family business," stated Batman, his eyes narrowing beneath the mask. Robin felt a defiance rise within him.

"As far as I'm concerned the Titans _are_ family," shot back the young man, firmly. Batman almost looked taken aback at the outburst but regained himself in an instant. Yet nothing could have prepared Robin for the Dark Knight's reaction. He smiled. A deep genuine smile; the likes of which the boy wonder had never seen before. If anything, it enhanced his apprehension tenfold. He tilted his head. "Have I said something amusing, Bruce?"

"Not at all," smiled the older man, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You've just confirmed my suspicions in one sentence. The fact of the matter is, Richard, you have outgrown me."

Robin was stunned, his eyes widening and his hair standing on end. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be diffident. You know what I mean. You don't belong as my 'sidekick' anymore, Dick," explained Batman, a kind tone to his voice. "You're all grown up."

The Dark Knight paused, walking towards the window and pushing the curtains back to let in a little more light. He gazed out of the opening silently, looking over the shore of Jump City and the seagulls circling overhead. The act in itself felt parental, yet this whole act filled Robin with confusion. How could Bruce be privy to these private feelings he was experiencing? He had only shared them with Starfire, and _surely_ she wouldn't have—

"I noticed it for the first time when Raven was gravely ill some months back," began Batman, breaking into Robin's thoughts. "The fierce way you led and defend your team showed your loyalty to them. But more than that, your maturity in handling the situation shone through. Then, the second clue was way in which you explored my concerns and helped the JLA to fight the impending threat from the SS with a sensible, clear head. Your handling of Raven's difficult news and how this may impact the team was the third, making preparations and protecting those closest to you."

Batman paused, turning back towards Robin. "But today cinched it. You're ready to make your own mark on the world, your own decisions. To lead a team. To be all the things that I never could and never will be. As far as I can see my job is done, Richard. Now it's time for you to decide what to do with your new life."

The Dark Knight placed a large, gloved hand firmly on the young man's shoulders, and Robin looked up at him. A swelling mix of emotions were swirling inside of him; relief, excitement, sadness and doubt. "Bruce, I—"

"We'll always be family, kid," confirmed Batman, clearly sensing and wanting to allay Robin's fears. "But that doesn't mean it isn't time for you to forge your own path. Perhaps not even alone."

Robin felt his cheeks colour at the potential mention of a partner. Although he couldn't be fully sure if Bruce was referring to a lover or his team, it still filled him with a sense of childish embarrassment. He couldn't seem to find the words to say and fell back on his oldest defence. Deflection.

"What about you?"

Batman released his grip on Robin's shoulder and turned fully towards the window, obscuring the young man's view of his face entirely. "I've already made arrangements for a new protégé to come to Wayne Manor and he arrived yesterday. His name is Jason. Jason Todd. There is resonance between the two of you. He is also an orphan and entirely alone in the world; he desperately needs some support and guidance. Presently he has proven to be...quite wild. From what I've heard, he's been driving Alfred insane."

Robin couldn't help but allow a small smirk onto his face at the visions of the butler being driven mad by another underprivileged youth running rings around him. "Poor Alfred. You think after me he'd be used to it."

Batman gave a grunt which resembled a laugh. "He's nothing compared to you, kid. Not yet."

Robin felt a strange sense of pride and envy battling within him. "So, that means a new Robin?"

"Yes; a new Robin," confirmed Batman, turning back to face the young man. There was concern behind his eyes, conflicted with satisfaction. "And a new start for Dick Grayson."

"A new start," repeated Robin, nodding. He was starting to get used to the idea. He looked down at the upside-down R which winked up at him and sighed slightly. He tugged at his clothes lamely. "I suppose you'll be wanting _these_ back."

"No," replied Bruce, firmly. "Those belong to you. I'll make sure Jason has his own suit made. But we can't have multiple Robins running riot around the world. So, I would suggest you start to think about your new identity."

"I already have," admitted the young man, looking his mentor in the eyes. Suddenly he felt as though he was elevated from a young child looking at his father, to an adult looking at his equal. Batman looked back at him, clearly sensing a similar connection. A respect lingered in the room between them. Dick Grayson smiled, the most genuine smile he had been able to muster in some time. "It's Nightwing."

* * *

 **Review replies:**

 **Malcolm7281 – Apologies! Hopefully this chapter made sense of everything.**

 **AzarathCat – Thank you, your words are very kind. I've had a rather tempestuous life up to this point and it never seems to fully ease! Thankfully things have slowed down now and I take great solace in writing so I'm already dreaming up some more stories for you all soon :)**

 **Sanzojoe – Thanks so much, as always! Feels like a long journey we've been on, and I know you've been there from the start! I'll write an epilogue, people seem to want it and it feels right :)**

 **Sweetbaby162016 – Just the fact you've reviewed at all means so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Hopefully the ending was fairly satisfactory. Epilogue to follow soon, thank you for your kind words.**

 **Bluelc – I know, I know. But it wouldn't be one of my stories without a good cliffie. All is well in the end though, so hopefully you aren't too mad! :) Thanks for your kind words.**

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 **And to those of you who are ghost reading, I just wanted to thank you all again for your interest and hope that you have enjoyed the story!**

 **Warm wishes to all.**

 **-Chibi**


	40. Chapter 40 - Epilogue

**Author's note:** **Well, here we are, at the end of the journey. Funny thing is I put off writing this epilogue; it almost felt like saying goodbye to an old friend. I've spent a lot of time over the past nine months working on this story and it has become a labour of love. But, nevertheless, here we are at the end. I do hope you enjoy the final piece in the puzzle. I cannot thank you enough for all the support, each time I notice that it's had almost 24,000 views I feel shocked and awed that people have taken the time to come with me on this journey as an author. I just wanted to thank you all, especially those who have religiously reviewed and those who popped in to give me a nice message at Chapter 39 that had read from start to finish. Review replies are at the end. I don't know what else to say other than please read, enjoy and leave me a review or a PM if you'd like to. You can also check out my other story Into You (I started writing it to procrastinate from the epilogue of Fly Away) if you are feeling withdrawal symptoms from the story! Warmest wishes to all.**

 **\- Chibi**

 **Disclaimer:** **For the final time, I do not own Teen Titans or any characters from the DC Universe.**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty – Epilogue**

Dick wearily trudged back towards ops, the reality of what the team had endured hitting him physically and mentally. The conversation with Bruce rang loudly in his mind; he'd finally made the break away that he had always wanted. He was free to be his own person. Yet, there was a lingering sadness. Perhaps it was for what could have been. Perhaps it was an acknowledgement that it was the end of an era. Either way, he was still aware of a strange heaviness within him. Taking a deep breath and squaring his posture, he saw the door to ops approaching. Realistically, the young man knew that he needed to discuss this with his team. What he'd said to Batman was true; they were family. If Robin was to be no more, then everyone needed to be part of that. Maybe they would feel a sadness too and would need time to understand his decision.

Pressing the button, he felt a swish of air that blew his cape back. Possibly for the last time, he realised. Wandering into the room, he saw the other four Titans sitting on the couch chatting amicably. Anyone would have thought that they were a normal group of young adults. Yet Dick knew they were so much more. He smiled, a fondness creeping across his chest. Then his eyes landed on the Tameranean; she was laughing brightly, her jade eyes glittering with mirth. He felt his heart beating strangely; she was so beautiful in more ways than he could ever describe.

 _Click_.

As though a device had been triggered in his mind, a comprehension clicked within him. He couldn't be without her. Not now, not ever. The heaviness lifted; its presence vanishing into the airy room forever. Dick realised that he wasn't truly grieving the lost relationship with Bruce. He was growing up, just as the Dark Knight had suggested. That feeling he'd been having all along. It was maturity. Smiling again, he wandered over to the group noticing that Cyborg was guffawing with laughter.

"Y'all, I'm telling you that Slade's face when Raven apparated behind him was priceless," hooted the cybernetic man, slapping his thigh in joy. Raven giggled lightly behind her fingers, a light blush on her face. Beast Boy's arm was draped over her shoulder as he looked at her lovingly. Cy impersonated the aforementioned villain's shocked expression before collapsing off the couch in a mock faint. Starfire laughed loudly, her tones echoing throughout the room. Cyborg pushed himself back to his feet, chuckling. "Guys, it was _classic_! Oh, hey Rob."

The metal man's eyes locked onto those of their leader and he fixed him with a friendly, warm smile. "How's the Bat?"

"Everything's fine," replied Dick, in his usual business-like manner. He softened slightly as he patted Cy on the shoulder. "Nothing to worry about."

"You seem different," said Raven, suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her. She shrugged; her face impassive. "Something has changed, hasn't it?"

A strange silence fell across the room. The young man felt a tingling fear in his stomach and tried to bury it. Raven was looking at him expectantly, and the others also appeared to be waiting with bated breath. Beast Boy gave a fanged grin and gestured at the empath with his thumb.

"Sorry, dude. You can't fool my lady. Believe me I've tried," he chuckled, green eyes flickering with amusement. "And failed. Many times. So, what's up?"

"Everything is okay?" added Starfire, looking a little worried. She floated over the sofa and landed next to her boyfriend gently. "Friend Raven is correct; you do seem somewhat out of sorts."

The leader let out a laborious sigh. It was time, no point putting it off any longer. He gave Starfire a reassuring smile and wrapped his arm around her. "Sit back down, we all need to talk."

"Impromptu meeting, boss?" asked Cy lightly, his red eye flashing in surprise. "Thought even _you'd_ wanna take the night off after all that's been goin' on around here."

"Not a meeting, Cy," replied Dick, his smile still lingering. "Just a talk amongst friends."

"O-kay?" answered the cybernetic man, looking confused. The boy wonder was not known for spontaneous friendly conversation. Cyborg made eye contact with the green changeling, who shrugged vacantly. Yet although Beast Boy may have been as confused as the others, the shapeshifter was also the most adaptable. He fixed Dick with an easy smile and scooted himself and Raven up on the couch to make space for the young man to sit down.

"Come on, dudes. Give the guy a break. He clearly wants to talk about something serious," said Garfield, unwrapping his arm from Raven and resting his elbows on his knees. He looked hard at Dick. "It _is_ serious, right Robin?"

"Call me Richard," countered the young man, as he sat down. "It's time for a proper introduction for once. My name is Richard Grayson."

There was a collective gasp and then silence. In truth, the team had known that Robin's first name was Richard; they'd heard Bruce say it on occasion. But none of them other than Starfire had ever dared to use it. It certainly hadn't been something which had been discussed openly. What was more, none of the team were 'officially' privy to his surname.

Raven recalled their psychic connection; it appeared the name had seeped into her unconscious somehow, as she recognised it from somewhere. But the surprise she felt in him revealing it openly to the whole team was written all over her face. She blinked at him. "So, let me get this straight. You're _telling_ us your secret identity?"

"Yes," nodded Dick, feeling as though the anxiety was melting away suddenly. A thought occurred to him. Why not go the whole way? He may as well finish what he'd started. Reaching up, he pulled his mask from his eyes and placed it down on the coffee table. Cyborg made a strange mechanical whirring sound, and the changeling next to him was agog. Richard smirked at their reactions. "Yes, I am."

"No _freaking_ way," breathed Garfield, clearly in shock. He shook his head then sniggered. Raven fixed him with a glare, elbowing him in the ribs.

"What can _possibly_ be funny, Gar?"

"Nothing. It's weird...I just always pictured him with brown eyes."

Yet two icy blue eyes stared back at the group, of which none of the Titans were familiar. None except one. Starfire cocked her head to the side, a confused look on her face.

"Please, Richard. Explain."

"Kori, I just needed everyone to see me for once. The real me. My name isn't Robin, it never has been. That was just the identity I was given. The identity that I was told to have. Now it's time to make my own identity," began Dick, feeling a little more assured in his words. He took her hand and could see something in the Tameranean's eyes that resembled pride. That's right; she was proud of him. This was what she had been alluding to all along. Nodding with renewed confidence, he took a deep breath. "So, to start off I needed to go back to basics. Like I said, my name is Richard Grayson. My real parents were well known trapeze artists known as the _'Flying Graysons'_ , until they died in an accident when I was young."

Raven nodded, remembering what she had experienced in her vision. The circus. The acrobats. "Yes, you were there when it happened. You saw."

Dick nodded, sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. Batman took me in, and the rest is history. He was good to me in many ways, but he tried to mould me in his image. Problem is, I'm not him."

"You are not," confirmed Starfire, her eyes glowing slightly. "You are much more."

"Maybe," shrugged Dick, releasing her hand and rubbing his palms together. He peeled the gloves off and lay them down by the mask. "The point is, it's time for a change. Besides, there's a new Robin."

"A new Robin?" asked Cyborg, shaking his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Batman has a new protégé," said Raven, calmly. She turned her eyes towards Dick's blue ones slowly, checking her understanding. "Right?"

The young man nodded. "Yes. Name is Jason Todd. Apparently, he shows a lot of potential."

"Pfft," snorted the changeling, reclining and folding his hands behind his head. "He's got big shoes to fill."

Dick smirked, his eyes narrowing. "Something like that. The point is, the identity is no longer mine. So, I see it as an opportunity for change. For growth."

"What does _that_ mean?" enquired Cyborg, tilting his head in disbelief. "You're just gonna give everything up because the Bat has a new Bird?"

"No. Let him have the Bird," smiled the former boy wonder, straightening his back. Never had these words felt truer. "I don't need Robin anymore."

"So, you've got a new identity then?" asked Gar, curiously. Dick nodded, pulling the cape off from around his shoulders. He placed it on top of the other parts of the uniform, shaking his dark hair out around his face.

"It's Nightwing," he replied, his blue eyes flashing with determination. Saying it a second time gave it more power. There was another brief silence, as the Titans absorbed the words. Suddenly, Raven reached over and placed her hand on his.

"Look, no matter what your name is, you are family. That's enough for me," she stated, firmly. She looked around at the others resolutely. "No matter what changes from now until the end of time. Whether we move, whether we split up, whether we die. We'll always be family."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, little sis," smiled the metal man, reaching over and placing his hand on top of hers. Garfield scrambled over Raven's shoulder and reached out to their entwined hands eagerly.

"Me too! The Titans family is forever. It's going to be a little bigger soon, too."

Raven smiled at him, as Starfire placed her delicate hand atop the pile. "You are my friends, my family and so much more. You will be in my heart always."

Richard gave a smile as he looked around at them all. How could he ever have doubted their reaction? A warm glow seemed to emanate across the room, and everyone became very still for a moment before they released their rudimentary huddle and settled back onto the couch. Nightwing stood to his feet, turning towards the team.

"Thank you all for your support. But there is _one_ more thing I wanted to say. I've told you about my identity and I've talked about change and growth. There's one thing missing."

Everyone looked at him curiously as he gently pulled the princess to her feet. Starfire's eyes were filled with confusion. "What are you—?"

"Star, you know how much you mean to me. This whole ordeal has taught me a few things. Firstly, that I've outgrown Robin. More than that, it's shown me how much all of you mean to me. And I've realised that I can't imagine my life without you. Marry me."

"What?!" squawked Beast Boy, nearly bouncing off the couch in excitement. Raven reached up and pulled him down hard. She fixed him with her signature threatening glare.

"Shh," she hissed, menacingly. "You're ruining the moment. As usual."

Garfield pouted, but hushed and looked back towards the couple excitedly. Starfire's mouth had dropped open. She looked like she was struggling to process what Nightwing had just said. The young man stared earnestly into her eyes, recognising how much of a shock this had been to her. He rephrased his parting statement.

"Will you marry me, Starfire?"

A moment ticked by. Then two. Jade eyes flashed their familiar luminous green as a smile lit her face.

"Yes."

* * *

 _Around eight months later_

 **"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS."**

"But I—"

 **"SILENCE MORTAL. DO NOT INTERRUPT WHEN I AM SPEAKING. I SHALL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB."**

"Umm...I'm really not cool with that..."

 **"DON'T YOU DARE COME NEAR ME OR YOU WILL SEE HOW FOUL I CAN TRULY BE. THIS IS ALL YOUR DOING. I CURSE YOU, GARFIELD MARK LOGAN. CURSE YOU TO AN ETERNITY OF PAIN AND SUFFERING."**

Beast Boy released the button he was holding and turned to his cybernetic companion, wincing. "Make her _stop_ , Cy."

"B, you're my bro. But if you think I am going anywhere near that," began Cyborg, pointing at the birthing chamber that housed a furious, swirling, demonic Raven. He looked back at the changeling, anxiously. "You've grossly overestimated our friendship."

A shadowy tentacle hit the glass, causing both of the men to jump. Cyborg pressed the microphone button down and gave his best sympathetic smile. "Hey, Raven. Listen, I know you're upset right now but take a few deep breaths, ok? The medical staff are on their way. They'll be here really soon and—"

 **"DO NOT TELL ME TO TAKE DEEP BREATHS. DO YOU WISH TO SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS YOUR COMPANION?"**

"Alrighty then, would you prefer it if we left?"

 **"IF YOU DARE TO LEAVE ME HERE, I WILL PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT YOUR CYBERNETIC ARMS ARE DETATCHED, THAT THEY BEAT THE GREEN ONE BLACK AND BLUE THEN** ** _THROTTLE YOU TO DEATH_** **."**

Cyborg stared at the red eyed demon indignantly but refrained from further comment. Beast Boy grabbed the microphone, trying to be as calm as possible. "I know you hate me, Rae. But it's going to be okay, I promise. I'm not going to leave you, no matter how many times you curse me or threaten to kill me. I'm right here, okay?"

There were some grumblings in a language that the two male Titans didn't understand, but the demonic Raven seemed to settle for the time being. The tentacles retracted beneath her cloak, which she had refused to remove until the staff arrived. Garfield let out a sigh of relief. The mic button clicked off, and he turned towards Cyborg in panic. "Where the hell are the maternity team? They were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!"

"Chill man, it's all going to be fine. Babies normally take a while to make an appearance, and the birthing chamber is keeping an eye on her stats. Everythin' is stable right now."

"You call _that_ stable?" argued Beast Boy, pointing to the red eyed demon who had taken up residence in the room. Cyborg gave a small chuckle but ignored the green changeling's comment. He placed a hand on Garfield's shoulder and shook his head.

"Listen man, it's all going to be okay. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to her," affirmed Cy, as his eyes full of sincerity. "On the other hand, if we approach that room right now, we are going to face a very slow and painful death. Best to keep calm as we can and chill here. It's all under control, okay?"

"I guess," grumbled the changeling, folding his arms petulantly. Suddenly, the door to the medbay burst open. Starfire entered with a cheery grin on her face and a bag in her hand.

"Greetings to you, my friends! Robin is keeping a look out for the team of medicine. How is our lovely mother-to-be faring?"

"Uhm, she's okay," stammered Cyborg, thumbing towards the birthing chamber. "But I guess she's a little stressed out."

"Oh?" replied Star, her innocent face lined with concern. "Perhaps I should go in and speak with her—"

"NO!" shouted Cyborg and Beast Boy at the same time. The Tameranean leapt back in utter terror, her bag clattering to the floor with a thud. Beast Boy took a deep breath then grabbed hold of the princess by the arms.

"She's _really_ not in the mood to be disturbed," managed Garfield, trying to be gentle with his friend. To the two male Titan's surprise, Starfire shook her head firmly.

"Nonsense," she chided, brushing Beast Boy's hands off with ease. "I shall go and see if she requires anything."

"Starfire, I really don't—"

"It will be fine."

"I _really_ wouldn't go in there if I were—"

"I insist."

"She's really pent up at the mo—"

"It is just the anxiety," interrupted Star, giving a glittering smile. She grabbed hold of the bag she had dropped and floated towards the chamber. "I shall speak with her. You shall not listen. Buzz me in please."

The two Titans looked at each other in concern. Cyborg turned towards Beast Boy. "It's your call B, she's your wife. Any deaths of Tameranean Princesses are on _your_ head, man."

"Let her in," sighed Gar, his ears drooping. "At least we know that she's the most difficult of us to destroy. Besides, you have some knockout gas, or something installed right?"

"Somethin' like that," smirked Cy, pointing to a button on the console conspiratorially. "Just don't tell your lady about it, okay? Girl would never forgive me."

"Deal," grinned Beast Boy, his fangs poking out of his lips. "Let her in."

Cyborg nodded and turned to see the Tameranean princess patiently waiting and humming a tune, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "Alright, little lady. Take it easy."

"I shall. Speakers off, please!"

"As you command, your majesty," replied Cyborg sarcastically, turning off the speaker system so that he and the changeling were left eagerly watching in silence.

"Friend Raven, it is I," said Starfire, as she walked into the chamber and felt the door swishing shut behind her. "Kori'ander."

There was a growl and a hiss as the tentacles reappeared. Raven's demonic form rounded on Starfire, towering over her with red eyes glowing. **"YOU DARE TO DISTURB—"**

"I have instructed the boys to switch off the speakers so you may have some privacy and I have brought you a bag full of indulgent joys to help pass the time," interrupted the Tameranean, brazenly. There was a pause and then a gasp as Raven shrank down to half the height. The red eyes remained, but the tentacles had vanished.

 **"WHAT DID YOU BRING ME, MORTAL?"**

"Well, there are some books, some earthly treats of sugary delight, a device which plays calming classical music," began Starfire, pulling out some books, chocolates and a radio. She placed them all in front of the half-demon calmly, as though she was oblivious to the horrifying state her friend was in. Pulling out the final item she smiled joyfully. "And a flask of your favourite tea."

Raven gasped and reduced down to her normal form. The crimson eyes vanished as she reached for the tea. Starfire was already pouring her a cup, the steam rising towards her jade eyes. She handed the warm liquid carefully to the empath, who took a deep inhalation of the vapour. "Mmm, _tea._ "

"Yes, I remembered how you like it. Shall we perhaps move you to the bed? You will be more comfortable there and I can bring your other valuables over to you?"

Raven nodded and walked towards the bed with some effort. It was more of a waddle in her present state. Her bump was clearly prominent through the cloak, and the contractions had clearly started. Starfire turned towards the two Titans that were watching them through the glass and nodded brightly. Their jaws were almost on the floor, in light of what they had just witnessed. Had they not known better they would have assumed that _Starfire_ was the sorceress of the team.

Grabbing hold of the effects, Star followed her friend to the comfortable looking bed in the chamber and perched on the edge. She placed the radio gently on the table and flicked it on. Gentle music piped from it and dissipated in the quiet birthing chamber. Raven had managed to gently hoist herself atop the bed and was holding her tea aloft like it was a prized possession. Starfire gently brushed her friend's hair away from her face, pulling it into a loose braid as the empath sipped the warm liquid and closed her eyes.

"Please," asked Starfire, gently. "Tell me how you are feeling now."

"Better," admitted Raven, her violet eyes fluttering open. She handed Starfire the empty tea mug and the princess deposited it on the floor. Raven took a deep breath then winced in pain. "Argh. Scratch that last statement."

Starfire took hold of her friend's hand and let her squeeze until the contraction had passed. She took a damp cloth from the bag and gently pressed it to her friend's forehead, as she spoke soothingly. "It will pass. Remain calm."

Raven exhaled sharply, as the sensation indeed passed. She panted slightly and reclined back on the bed. "Where the _hell_ are the medical staff?"

"On their way," soothed Star, her voice hushing to barely above a whisper. "Do not fear. I am here with you, friend."

"Thank you," replied Raven, small tears forming in her eyes. Concern tinted her brow as she winced again. "I may have been a _bit_ rude to Cy. And even ruder to Gar."

"They understand," smiled Starfire, stroking the empath's long hair relaxingly. "They are family."

"What would I do without you, Kor," smiled Raven, pushing herself into a more comfortable position. Another contraction. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt the Tameranean's strong hands gripping her own.

"Breathe. Breathe. Remember your meditation."

"Azarath, Metrion, _ZINTHOS,"_ managed Raven, between gritted teeth. The feeling passed again. She swallowed, her mouth feeling dry all of a sudden. "T-they're getting closer together. Doesn't that mean that—?"

"Yes, Rina will be with us soon," replied Starfire, her voice still calm. "But you need not fear. You are able to do this. You are the bravest person I have ever known."

Raven felt the emotion pouring from her friend's chest. She knew that the Tameranean was trying to keep herself abnormally calm so that Raven could leech some of the serenity from her. The empath was very grateful, and she clung to her friend for dear life. The contractions became closer still. The pain became more intense. Starfire managed to coax Raven out of her cloak and made her comfier.

A moment later, the doors burst open and in rushed the medical team that Bruce had provided. They were fully aware of Raven's metahuman heritage and had received specialist training regarding her strange physiology. Starfire took her leave, reassuring the empath that she was in safe hands. A friendly, young practitioner came towards her with a gentle smile. She had red hair, and resembled Starfire in some ways. Her green eyes were kind, and she spoke calmingly.

"You're doing _so_ well, Raven. Try to keep going. Almost there," said the young nurse, her red hair bobbing up and down as she supported Raven through the birth. It seemed to take a lifetime. The empath fought her demonic impulses at every turn. Squeezing her eyes shut to focus, she managed to blank out her surroundings as she centred herself, just as she had done many times before. She focused on the nurse's friendly voice, which encouraged her at every turn.

 _'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.'_

Eventually, Raven heard a tap then a wail and she knew it was over. She had finally arrived. Carefully peeking through her hands, she saw those familiar violet eyes staring back at her. In the arms of her friendly redheaded nurse, was her daughter. _Her_ daughter. She swallowed, looking at the nurse through half-lidded eyes that were filled with tears. Raven felt a strange connection to the woman and was compelled to thank her properly.

"Your name," said the empath, looking at her earnestly. "Tell me your name."

"Rina," replied the nurse, passing the young baby across into her mother's open arms. "My name is Rina. Congratulations Raven, she's a beautiful, healthy girl."

Raven couldn't help but laugh. "So _that's_ where that came from."

"Huh?" said the nurse, looking confusedly at the half-demon. "What's that?"

"Nothing," replied Raven, mystically. She smiled. "Thank you for all of your help, Rina. You were a great support to me; I will never forget it. I'd like to see my husband now."

"Of course," beamed the young woman, gently touching the empath on the shoulder. "Well done. She is a lovely little thing."

"She is," replied Raven simply, looking at her daughter properly for the first time. Tiny pointed ears and small fingers glinted back at her and she felt the tears pricking her eyes again. "Hello, little one. We meet at last."

"RAE!"

The shout made her flinch slightly, as she turned towards her left-hand side abruptly. Beast Boy was charging into the room, making a beeline for her. "Is she okay? Is she...oh my..."

"Say hi to your daughter, Gar," said Raven, quietly. She offered the small bundle out to his eager arms. The changeling was aghast. He was tearful, happy, excited and nervous all at the same time. The empath felt each one as though they were tangibly in front of her. The waves were so strong, they nearly knocked her off the bed. She sighed, exhaustedly. Flopping back onto her pillow, she looked over at Gar and baby Rina. He was talking to her in a hushed voice and rocking her back and forth in his arms. He was a natural. She knew he would be. His eyes locked onto hers, and he smiled widely.

"She's _so_ cute," admitted Beast Boy, gently kissing Rina's forehead. Raven smiled and gestured for him to sit next to her. He reached out with his free arm and brushed her hair away from her face. "You're so amazing."

"Me or Rina?"

"Both of you," replied Garfield affectionately, as he huddled them all together. Tears formed in his emerald eyes once more. "Thank you so much Rae."

"For what?"

"For everything."

* * *

 _Six months later_

"I can't believe that the day is actually here," whispered Raven, reaching around Starfire to put down her hairbrush. "You look amazing."

"Oh, friend! You are most kind," laughed the Tameranean, brushing her auburn locks out of her eyes. "You look wondrous in your attire also."

Raven was furnished in a midnight blue dress; a stark contrast to her friend's beautiful white bridal gown. The empath thumbed the blue material absently and shrugged. "You should be grateful that you got me into any kind of dress at all."

"That I am!" replied Starfire, laughing again. She reached down to her dressing table and grasped hold of the veil that rested there. Looking towards her friend, she tilted her head. "Please, you will assist me in fitting this?"

"Of course," nodded Raven, gesturing for the young woman to sit down. She started fiddling with the headpiece as she spoke. "How are you feeling?"

"I know this seems most ridiculous, but I am _very_ nervous," answered Star, her jade eyes twinkling with honesty. She placed her hand over her chest. "My heart is thumping at such a pace I fear it may leap out of me!"

Raven chortled, clipping the veil into place and fluffing it out so that it was sitting properly. She admired her handiwork for a moment then nodded. "Perfect. And it's not ridiculous to feel nervous. You've never done this before."

"Yet you have. Tell me, were you indeed also nervous?"

The empath cast her mind back to her own wedding day, pensively. "I guess, in some ways. But I was certain that I wanted to go through with it, too. In the end, I suppose that outweighed the nerves."

"I feel much the same," nodded Starfire, taking a deep breath and standing to her feet. "Tell me, what do you think? Will Richard be pleased?"

"Richard will be awestruck," replied Raven, turning the young woman so that she twirled, and the dress flowed out to its full size. "Honestly, you look stunning, Kori."

"You did not wear such an article?"

Raven's eyes lit up with mirth. "It's very you. It's not very me. I wore black."

Starfire let out a guffawing laugh, clutching at her sides. "That does not surprise me. Yet, you look fabulous in blue. It really is _your_ colour."

Raven caught full sight of herself in Starfire's makeup mirror and turned from side to side to examine herself. Her body had changed slightly since she had given birth to Rina, but she had come to embrace her new curves. She fanned out her long hair. "Hey, maybe I should cut my hair short again."

"Oh no, please do not! I do so love it long!"

"It's not so much a matter of _looks_ as practicality," replied Raven, pragmatically. "Have you ever had to deal with baby puke in long hair? It's almost as bad as Plasmus goop."

Starfire laughed again, giving her friend a shove. "Stop making me laugh, friend! I shall smear all of my wedding makeup."

Raven chuckled and blinked at herself, taking one last look in the reflective glass.

 _'Hmm. It will do. No amount of preening is going to prepare me for standing up in front of all those people. This isn't about me, at any rate. Time for courage, Raven.'_

Turning away from the dressing table, she looked at her best friend in earnest. "Honestly Star, you look great. I'll be right there with you, so don't be afraid. You are the bravest person I have ever known."

Starfire smiled, the recognition of the historic statement hitting her. It brought back memories of the day that their family was made bigger, and a small tear appeared in her eye. Raven reached up and gently brushed it away. "Hey, now. No make-up smearing, okay?"

Starfire nodded silently, and reached a hand out to her friend. Raven took it and gave it a brief squeeze. Giving one of her rare, true smiles she pushed the door open.

"Come on, Kori. Let's go do this."

After the ceremony was over, everyone was gathered in the large hall at Wayne Manor in celebration of the two newlyweds. People from all over the galaxies had come to attend their wedding, and it was a rather large and fancy affair. Raven glanced around the large room, brushing her violet hair out of her eyes. In some ways it made her own wedding seem menial and small, but to her it had been oddly perfect on reflection. This, on the other hand, was her idea of hell.

"Hey beautiful lady," came a voice in her ear, that sent shivers down her spine. "Are you alone?"

Raven smirked and tilted her head to the side so she could glance over her shoulder. "No, I'm waiting for someone."

"Let me guess. A tall, dark and handsome stranger?"

"No, just my husband," she joked, shoving the changeling playfully in the side. "Hello, you two."

Garfield chortled, hoisting Rina up onto his hip. She cooed and the shapeshifter tickled her chin with his fingers. "We were so proud of your mama for standing up there in front of all those people, weren't we bubs?"

Raven reached out and gently stroked her daughter's forehead. She leaned over and placed a kiss on her tiny cheek, wrapping her free arm around Gar. "Well, it's a once in a lifetime thing, guys. Don't get used to it."

"Wouldn't dream of it," grinned Beast Boy, turning them so they faced back out towards the hall. They lapsed into a little silence, taking in the thrum of people talking and the bustling colours and lights. Raven looked sidelong at her husband, feeling a strange pang of guilt. He looked content, but she needed to know.

"Hey, Gar?"

"Hmm?"

Raven paused, biting her lip. "You don't...wish we'd done something a bit more...like this, do you?"

Garfield snorted, as if the very notion was ridiculous. "Come off it, Rae. This is your idea of hell, isn't it?"

Raven smiled and shook her head, still slightly amazed at how well he could read her. But she wanted an answer. "That's not what I asked, is it?"

"Look, weddings like this are nice and everything but they aren't us. I love you, and I want to be with you. I don't need some big, fancy party to do that. Besides, we got to go to Vegas, baby!"

Raven rolled her eyes, the guilt subsiding somewhat. She suspected he was perhaps being frivolous with the truth to spare her feelings, but the emotions he was emitting felt genuine. "Are you happy, then?"

"Raven, you're an empath. You don't need me to answer that question."

"I want to hear you say it."

Garfield chuckled before reaching over and kissing her on the lips tenderly. Breaking away, he looked into her eyes earnestly. "Raven Logan, I am happy. Satisfied?"

"Yes," admitted the empath, meekly. She snuggled into his side and observed the throngs of people. In the distance she could see Cyborg talking to someone. A young woman with blonde hair. He seemed to be laughing and joking with her freely. "Huh. Cy seems to have found a friend."

The changeling's eyes locked onto his best friend's location and he chortled again. "Looks like. I hope he can be happy one day, too."

"Me too. He deserves that and a whole lot more," replied Raven, releasing her husband and standing upright. "Right, enough of that. I need some air. Come here, little one."

Beast Boy gently handed Rina across to her mother and took a step back. "Want some company?"

"No thanks, I've got plenty of company right here," smiled Raven, bobbing her daughter up and down. She fixed the green man with a stern look, but there was a playful look in her eyes. "I'll be fine, Gar."

"Okay, okay!" exclaimed the changeling, laughing. "I'll go mingle with the other guys. Right here if you need me, alright?"

Raven smiled openly; an expression that reached up to her twinkling eyes. "You always are."

* * *

The stars were bright; a fact that amazed the empath, given how close they were to Gotham City. The cool air gave her a feeling of calm, and she was able to brush off the emotions of the people in the hall. It was fun but wearing for her. She had become much better at managing her emotions since the arrival of Rina. It was as though she had overcome such a huge challenge, it had given her more confidence to be herself. The more confident she became, the stronger her control had become and the less negative emotions she experienced. Everything felt calm. Centred. She began to hum as Rina gurgled loudly, babbling in her own language. She looked into the smaller violet eyes and smiled.

"Well, Rina. Here we are. I can't believe we made it. Look at us, standing under the stars on such a beautiful night."

More chattering and babbling, followed by a bout of hiccups. Raven let out a small laugh, amused by her daughter's antics.

"Couldn't have put it better myself. Seems you're going to be a chatterbox, just like your father. But that's okay. He more than makes up for it in other ways."

The empath let out a deep breath, turning her face towards the moon. "You are going to be _so_ loved. We have the best family. I feel very lucky each and every day to be part of it. Believe me, family is not always the easiest thing in the world to navigate."

She smiled lightly, chucking Rina under the chin. The tiny violet eyes were staring up at her, and the half-demon almost sensed they were filled with a deep concern. She leant in closer, whispering conspiratorially. "Don't worry, you have a much better father than I ever did. He'll make sure you're okay, even if something were to happen to me."

Rina laughed, babbling again. Her nonsensical words disappeared into the cool night air, as Raven stood in silence and looked up towards the stars once more. After a while, she spoke, her tones hushed in the darkened garden. "Well, I suppose it's time to start fulfilling what you are meant to do. In order for us to get to this safe space which we are in today, we're going to need some help. So, you know what that means? We have our own secret mission to undertake."

She looked back down towards Rina, lifting her up so that she could look out over the gardens and beyond. "You need to tell a very important story. A story that will help your father and I to get through some difficult times. Think you're up for it, little Titan?"

Gargles and squeals of delight. Raven's nose wrinkled. "I'm going to take that as a yes. Well, Rina Marie Logan. It's time that I told you a very long and important story. Listen very carefully, because you need to remember every detail."

Raven paused, starting to pace around the darkened gardens. Her voice lifted up above the noise of the party, as she told a tale that she knew very well. One that she would tell her daughter hundreds of times over the coming years.

"Once upon a time there was a lady called Raven Roth. She was a fully qualified therapist, renowned in Jump City for her skills..."

 ** _THE END_**

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **AzarathCat: You are a superstar! Thanks for staying with me start to finish, means so much. Epilogue is here, and I know you've started on Into You so I'll see you there :)**

 **Sanzojoe: Another lovely reviewer, thanks for sticking with me! So very grateful to you. I'm glad you enjoyed it – I hope the ending was satisfactory, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! :)**

 **Bellefique: Wow, what a compliment! I'm so glad it kept you gripped. Please let me know what you think of this conclusion, if you can. I am so grateful for your kind comments. Check out Into You if you want more :)**

 **Guest: Wow...just...thank you! You're very complimentary, I'm not quite sure what to do with it (It's my British heritage!) But seriously, thanks so much. I truly hope the ending met with your expectations. Please do check out Into You – hope to see you there :)**


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